


The New Winter Soldier

by Cinnamonrollgirl7



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Civil War (Marvel), Constructive Criticism Welcome, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, New winter soldier, Original Character(s), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Why Did I Write This?, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 08:52:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 28,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6949384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamonrollgirl7/pseuds/Cinnamonrollgirl7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>CIVIL WAR SPOILERS.<br/>Steve wakes Bucky up from his sleep because a new threat is terrorizing the world: The New Winter Soldier. As they fight to stop this criminal, what will Bucky discover?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking Up

“Bucky? Are you awake?” Steve whispered, touching his friend’s shoulder. T’Challa stood next to him, watching the sleeping man nervously.

Groaning, Bucky sat up. “Steve, I told you not to take me off the ice until there was a way to de-program me.”

“I think I found a way. And anyways, we need you right now.”

Bucky looked at Steve in surprise. “What’s going on?”

“It seems HYDRA wasn’t completely destroyed. We need you back Bucky, and I think I can help you with what HYDRA has done to you,” an accented voice said. A young woman stood in the door way wearing a dark red shirt and tight black pants. Her long hair hung in sheets on either side of her round face. Bucky recognized her as Wanda, one of the Avengers that had fought alongside him and Steve against Tony Stark and his team.

“Weren’t you locked up?” Bucky asked with a laugh.

Wanda shrugged. “I got out.” She stepped towards him with her hands out, red magic swirling around her hands.

Bucky grabbed her wrist tightly. “Are you going to mess with my head?”

“I’m going to try and undo what has been done to you. Now hold still.”

Bucky released Wanda’s hands and closed his eyes. He could sense her finger tips hovering over his temple. Tendrils of magic wormed their way into his mind. Bucky tried to stay calm, but he could feel the panic rising up inside of him.

Sensing his friend’s fear, Steve placed his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, Buck.”

Many minutes passed before Wanda’s hands lowered. “Now to test it.”

T’Challa snuck behind Bucky and grabbed a hold of him tightly. Steve moved to throw T’Challa off but Wanda raised her hand, freezing Steve in place.

“Zhelaniye. Rzhavet.” T’Challa whispered into Bucky’s ear. Bucky struggled to break free, but was too weak from being frozen. “Semnadtsat. Rassvet. Pech. Devyat. Dobrokachestvennya. Vozvrashcheniye Domay. Odin. Gruzovoy Avtombil.”

Everyone stood in silence, watching Bucky. He looked around, surprise written across his face. “They didn’t work. Wanda, you did it!”

She smiled and released Steve, who stumbled forward, giving Bucky a hug.

“I swear, I didn’t know they were going to do that,” Steve said, fear tingeing his voice.

Bucky smirked. “Nah, I know you wouldn’t have wanted that.” He looked back at T’Challa. “Is this pay back from throwing you around?”

T’Challa laughed good naturedly. “I’d rather find out here that Wanda’s reset didn’t work than for us to find out in the field. Now come, we have a new arm for you.”

They walked to a lab down the hall and Bucky laid on the surgical table that was prepared. T’Challa’s doctors worked steadily as Bucky listened to Steve.

“Tony was tipped off that HYDRA was still working within the government. He didn’t want to call me with a false lead so he looked into it. Turns out the tip was more than right. HYDRA is still running strong, but more underground than before.”

“So you need me to give you information on HYDRA? Is that why you woke me up? Because it’s still hard for me to remember, Steve.”

“No, we need your help because HYDRA has a new Winter Soldier and we need help taking him out.”


	2. Say Hi To The Kids

Bucky flexed his new fingers experimentally. The metal arm was nearly the same as his old one but instead of a red star painted on his shoulder, a small red, white, and blue shield has been stamped into the metal. Bucky traced the shield with his real fingers, smiling at the small gesture Stark had made.

After his arm had been installed, Bucky was informed that Tony Stark had done a lot of thinking after their battle. After a while, Tony had decided to forgive Bucky, but not necessarily forget. As a peace offering, Stark had designed this new arm based off of his old one, which Tony had ripped off.

“Ready to go?” Wanda asked, looking at him curiously.

Bucky gave a small nod before following her to the plane they would be taking to the Avengers’ headquarters. T’Challa and Steve were already on board. 

“I will go and tell the pilot we are ready to go,” T’Challa said, standing and heading for the cockpit.

Bucky sank into the plush chair next to Steve. “I know I’ve been asleep for a while, but I’m pretty damn tired.”

Steve gave a little laugh. “Go to sleep, Buck. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

Bucky leaned his head back, and quickly fell asleep  
~~~  
“What are you doing, Tony?” Natasha asked, watching Tony dump some more food onto the kitchen counter.

“We’re having guests so I’m trying to make some dinner. Usually Pepper cooks but I’m sure this isn’t too hard, right?”

Natasha rolled her eyes and made her way into the lounge and sat besides Clint, who was on the phone with his wife. “Yes honey, everything’s fine here. I know what you’re seeing on the news is scaring you but we’re going to be fine. Reinforcements are on their way now and we’re gonna catch this guy. Say hi to the kids for me, okay?” He listened to her reply and smiled. “I love you too. Bye.”

“How’s the baby?” Natasha asked, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table and snatching the TV remote from Clint’s hand.

“Baby is good. Any luck finding Bruce yet?”

“Not really. Still hoping, though.”

She turned the TV on and the news sprang on. They were playing the same video they had been for the past week; the new Winter Soldier wrecking havoc in San Francisco. The soldier leapt around the street, destroying cars and buildings. Civilians ran in every direction, but the soldier didn’t make a move to attack them. 

The Avengers had hoped that if they watched the video enough, they would be able to identify who the soldier was. So far, that hadn’t worked. The soldier was short and thin, like a young teenager. He wore many layers of black clothes underneath a bullet proof vest. A mask covered the lower half of the soldier’s face while sturdy goggles covered the top half. A hood was flipped up over the soldier’s head, hiding his hair from sight. The solider was good with a gun, but proofed to be better with a knife when he found his target, a senator, in a black car with tinted windows. He made quick work of disposing of the senator and his body guards with just a small dagger.

The solider fought his way through the crowd before getting picked up by a black van, which tore out of the city at top speeds. There wasn’t any footage of what happened after, but the Avengers found the van abandoned in a field and they guessed a helicopter had come and picked up the solider and the driver.

Clint and Natasha watched the news in silence, listening to Tony cursing in the kitchen as he burnt himself for the third time.

“Capsicle better appreciate this!” he hollered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are you guys thinking??


	3. The Dinner

The plane landed smoothly on the runway. Bucky launched himself from his seat and bolted to the door. He leapt down to the tarmac and took in a deep breath. He hated being in enclosed spaces. 

“You alright, Bucky?” Steve called.

“I’ll be fine!”

Once they all had their bags, they made their way to the car which took them to the headquarters. When they walked in, they smelled something burning.

“What is that smell?” T’Challa asked, wrinkling his nose.

“Tony tried to cook. It didn’t work out,” Sam said, turning the corner with a big smile plastered on his face. He and Steve rushed to each other and embraced. “Good to see you, Steve.”

“Good to see you too, Sam.”

Sam glanced at Bucky and awkwardly smiled. “Hey Barnes.”

Bucky tried to smile back, but it looked more like a grimace. He still found it hard to smile for anyone else besides Steve. 

“Hello, I hope your trip was pleasant,” Vision said, drifting through a wall, startling everyone. “Mr. Stark has tried to prepare a meal for us all. Would you all like to move towards the kitchen?”

The dinner was, needless to say, awkward. It was filled with silences, broken up with attempts at conversation from both Steve and Tony. After everyone chocked down the meal Tony had burnt, most people retired to their rooms. Steve and Tony went to the lab to talk. T’Challa and Bucky, both without rooms, remained sitting on the couch, watching TV. Bucky watched with curiosity while T’Challa just sat and texted on his phone. 

Suddenly, the program Bucky was watching was interpreted by an emergency news feed from New York City. The Winter Soldier was attacking again. 

“T’Challa, are you seeing this?” Bucky asked.

“Yes, we need to go get everyone.” He stood to leave when Steve and Tony walked into the room, fully suited up.

“We’re a step ahead of you. Everyone else is already getting geared up. I’d suggest you do the same.”

Everyone was rushing around the building collecting suits and weapons. Bucky shifted from foot to foot awkwardly, seeing as he didn't have a suit. 

"Barnes, I made you a new suit. Stored it in the lab," Tony said stiffly. "I'll take you to get it."

Steve watched nervously as Tony and Bucky left the room, but not wanting to make a scene, Steve stayed where he was.

Bucky and Tony walked in silence until the reached the lab. Tony opened up a metal box and gestured for Bucky to look inside.

"I kinda designed it after your old suit. Just added some of my own features. You know, reinforced vulnerable areas and such," Tony said.

Bucky fingered the raised stitches of the bulletproof vest. "Thanks, Stark. I like it."

"Are you good?"

Bucky looked up, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Tony fixed a stern eye on Bucky. "Is your head normal again? I can't have a loose cannon jeopardizing this team."

Bucky turned away, stripping his shirt off and reaching for the new one in the box. "Wanda fixed my mind. HYDRA can't control me."

"Maybe not in the way they used to, but if you get consumed by revenge, they have control over you. Trust me; I would know." Tony shook his head. "If you're going to be a danger to this team, don't bother coming. You don't want to hurt anyone, right?"

Bucky's head whipped around. "I'm not going to hurt anyone on this team. You can trust me."

"I hope I can," Tony said, nervously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get good :D stay tuned!!!!


	4. Comrade?

The Winter Solider rolled the bomb under the empty van and watched as the vehicle flew through the air. The soldier continued down the street, destroying vehicle after vehicle. In a panic, civilians ran down the sidewalks, screaming. Over head, a small jet roared past and landed on the street behind the soldier.

The soldier turned and watched as the Avengers stepped out onto the damaged street. HYDRA agents slunk from the alleys and stood behind the solider. With a wave of a hand, the small army made their way towards the Avengers, who ran forward to meet their advisories. 

Fighting broke out and bodies flew through the air. The soldier collided with The Black Panther, blocking the razor sharp claws. Ducking under T’Challa’s arms, the soldier slid into his personal space and swept him off his feet. The Black Panther landed on the ground with a thud and before he could stand up, the solider had moved onto the next target.   
Lifting Natasha into the air, the solider spun and threw her into Captain America, who deftly caught her. With a roar, he rushed the solider. The shield rang out like a gong when it made contact with the lithe body of the soldier. The solider flew backwards, landing in a heap on top of other agents of HYDRA. Steve followed along, preparing to take this soldier out. 

The soldier’s hood had fallen off to reveal a small, messy bun of golden brown hair. A few strands had fallen across the goggles the soldier wore. In a swift movement, the solider pulled a gun out and shot at Steve twice. 

Captain America ducked down and lifted his shield, deflecting the bullets. Before he could make a move to attack, Bucky ran past him in a rage. He grabbed a hold of the gun in his metal hand and crushed it. The soldier quickly let go and whipped out a knife.

Dodging the deadly swings, Bucky danced out of reach. He grabbed the soldier’s arm and twisted it back. Without missing a beat, the solider swung a wild hook punch into the side of Bucky’s face. He stumbled backwards, in a daze. When he straightened up, he saw the soldier was running right at him, knife still in hand. 

He blocked the incoming stab and wrapped his metal hand around the soldier’s throat. Lifting the small soldier off the ground, he tightened his grip. The soldier dropped the knife and scrabbled at the slick metal of Bucky’s arm. A high pitched gasp slipped out from under the black mask hiding the soldier’s face.

“Bucky! Don’t just stand there!” Steve yelled, blocking a bullet that was meant for the back of Bucky’s head. 

Bucky reared back and launched the soldier into the truck that was parked alongside the road. The soldier hit with a sickening crunch and slid to the ground. The black mask fell from the soldier’s face, revealing pink, full lips. The lips curled back into a snarled grimace as the soldier ripped the goggles off. The soldier looked up at Bucky with large, gray-blue eyes. 

It wasn’t the anger burning within the depths of the eyes that shocked Bucky, instead, it was the fact that this dangerous soldier was a young woman. She looked like she was barely into her twenties, maybe younger. Her cheekbones were sharp do to the hungry hollows above her jaw. Her skin was pale; Bucky suspected she hadn’t been exposed to sunlight in many years. 

Suddenly, her scrunched up nose relaxed, her eyebrows un-furrowed and her mouth fell open in surprise. Her dazed, angry eyes focused and recognition flooded them.

“Comrade?” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh!! I loved writing this chapter! I know it's kinda short but the next one will be longer, I promise!! Tell me what you think in the comments!!


	5. Doll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kinda crazy to write oh my gosh! I'd love to hear what you guys think of this chapter so please tell me!  
> RAPE MENTION

“Is that you?” The girl asked, standing slowly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bucky growled, moving towards her.

She dodged away from him, slipping between his outstretched arms. “Comrade! It’s me! Why are you attacking?”

“I don’t know you!” Bucky screamed, spittle flying from his lips. He punched the soldier, causing her to fall to the ground. She kicked at his knees, causing him to fall on top of her. 

She grasped the front of his vest and pulled him close. “You know me,” she whispered. 

A flash of Steve saying the same thing burst through Bucky’s mind. He closed his eyes tight, trying to block out the memory.

“No I don’t!” He ripped himself from the soldier’s arms and kneeled over her. He raised his fist up and swung it down to her face. It connected with a thwack and her head whipped off to the side. 

When she turned to look at Bucky again, a fire burned in her eyes. She swung her legs up and hooked her heels around Bucky’s throat. With a quick pull, she yanked him backwards. Quickly, she scrambled out from underneath him. “Comrade, please! What have these people done to you?”

Bucky sat up and rushed the soldier. He wrapped his metal hand around her throat again and pulled her close. “Who are you?”

She stared into his eyes, startled. Loose strands of hair blew across her forehead and her pink lips parted in surprise. Bucky was hit with the realization that she was a pretty girl, even if she was obviously malnourished. He wanted to help her but he wasn’t sure if she was truly with HYDRA or if she was like him in the sense that she had been brainwashed.   
He shook her slightly. “Who are you!?”  
She gave him a sad smile. “Try and remember.”

Suddenly, she slapped a small metal device onto Bucky’s hand. It shocked him and the hardware in his arm short circuited. He dropped her and she bolted down the street, zig-zagging through the fight. Her boots hit the concrete with loud slaps. Over the sound of battle, Bucky could hear her yelling at her men to fall back.

She ran up the front of a car and stood on the roof. She pulled a flare gun from her belt and fired red sparks into the sky.

“Oh no. You aren’t getting away that easily,” Bucky snarled. He pulled a handgun off the belt of a fallen HYDRA agent and took aim. The bullet clipped the girl’s shoulder, causing her to scream out and fall off the car. Bucky took off towards where she had fallen, but she was already up, clutching at her bloody shoulder. She looked at Bucky with a mixture of fear and hurt.

Sam landed in front of her and swung a well aimed kick, but she dodged underneath, still holding her shoulder. Bucky tried to shoot her leg, but he couldn’t get a clean shot. She and Sam were all over the place and he was scared he’d hit his teammate. 

“Sam! Out of the way!” Bucky yelled, but Sam didn’t hear.

The girl pulled out a small dagger and jammed it into Sam’s backpack, which controlled his wings. They malfunctioned and shot him straight up into the sky. Tony took off after him, leaving the rest of the Avenger’s on the ground. 

The soldier dived behind the car, hiding from Bucky. She dug her fingers into the bullet hole in her shoulder and yanked the small piece of metal from her flesh. Cringing, she threw the bullet aside.

A thud on the car behind her caused her to jump in surprise. She ran her hands across her face, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Blood smeared across her face and she stared with wide eyes up at Bucky.

His teeth were barred and his gun was drawn but when he saw the look on the girl’s face, he faltered as a memory flashed through his mind.  
~~~  
The girl’s face was covered in blood and she looked at him, scared. The cave they were huddled in was dark and cold as snow fell outside. Bucky pulled her to him, holding her close to keep her warm.

“It’s okay, Doll. I’ll protect you. We’ll get through this. We’ve been through worse.”

She looked at him and gave him a small smile. “I know, Comrade.”  
~~~  
“Doll?” Bucky said, dropping his arm.

She looked at him, startled. “You remember me?”

Bucky pressed a knuckle to his forehead and kneeled on top of the car as more memories flooded his mind.  
~~~  
They attacked a building filled with enemies of HYDRA. They left no one alive.  
~~~  
They ran through the woods, dodging bullets that whizzed past their heads. She pulled a gun from her belt and shot one of the attackers that had gotten too close to Bucky.

“Keep moving!” she hollered, standing her ground against the oncoming enemies. 

Bucky stopped and stood beside her, pulling his own gun. “I go where you go, Doll. I’m not leaving you behind.”  
~~~  
Bucky screamed and rammed into the door of his cell. He could hear voices outside talking, saying that he was unstable. But he knew what he was doing. They were hurting her, his Doll. As soon as they returned from their mission, her handler wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. 

Bucky heard him whisper in her ear. “Hello, my little Play Thing. I think it’s time for some fun.” He then whispered her trigger words and she fell into a daze as he led her away to his quarters. 

Bucky knew what the handler would do to her and he tried to go after them, but he was restrained and put in this room until they could wipe him again. 

He was getting sick of how they treated his Doll. Hugging her, kissing her, groping her, raping her; he was tired of it and wanted to save her.

The only problem was; he wasn’t able to.

HYDRA wiped him later that night, but those memories always came back.  
~~~  
Memories filled up his mind and he cried out in pain. A delicate hand touched his shoulder and a soft voice crooned. “I’ll take you back to base. They’ll take the pain away, Comrade. I’ll protect you.”


	6. I Knew Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some mild language in this chapter so just wanted to warn you! Please leave a comment on what you think!!!!

“Get away from him!” Steve hollered, throwing the shield at her. 

She didn’t see the disc until it was too late. It collided with her head, sending her sprawling. Steve leapt onto the top of the car beside Bucky before catching the shield as it bounced back.

Before either person could make a move, a large, black helicopter flew over head.

The soldier leapt to her feet. “I’ll come back for you, Comrade! I promise!” She ran towards the helicopter and no one made a move to stop her. They were all too concerned with treating their injured heroes. 

She climbed aboard and was whisked away.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, squatting down next to Bucky. He reached out to place a hand on his friend’s shoulder, but Bucky flinched away.

“I knew her,” Bucky whispered.

It was Steve’s turn to rear back. “What do you mean?”

“I remember. Memories are coming back.”

Bucky started to stand, his knees shaking. He allowed Steve to reach out and help him up. “I thought all of your memories were back.”

“Apparently not,” Bucky growled.

“You can explain when we get back to the headquarters. But I think you need some rest. Take a nap on the ride back.” Steve pulled Bucky’s arm over his shoulder and barred the weight of Bucky’s weak body. Bucky’s eyes remained screwed shut as he was assaulted by long forgotten memories, somehow repressed. Why had these memories come back now? What had taken them away? He could remember the failed wiped HYDRA had performed to rid his mind of her, but somehow, the last time they had tried, they were successful; until now. The problem was he just couldn’t remember how they did it.

As soon as he stepped inside the jet, Bucky collapsed into a seat and succumbed to the memories flooding his mind. He pulled his knees into his chest and curled in on himself.  
Once the Avenger’s had landed, Steve helped Bucky into the infirmary. Most of the Avenger’s had gathered there to treat injuries while the rest were getting cleaned up.   
Bucky collapsed into a bed and curled into a fetal position. Steve sat next to him, acting as a guard. Tony walked past giving Steve a questioning look and pointed at Bucky, but Steve just shook his head. 

With a shrug, Tony walked on.

It was nearly an hour before the memories stopped bombarding Bucky’s mind. He sat up slowly, his real hand running through his hair and his metal arm still hung limply at his side. Steve leaned forward, a look of concern on his face.

“Are you okay?” 

Bucky shook his head. “I remember everything about her now. I left her, Steve. I left her with HYDRA. I promised to protect her and I didn’t.”

“Bucky, it’s not your fault. Your mind had been wiped. You couldn’t have known. But, Bucky, you’re going to have to tell the team about who she is.”

Bucky closed his eyes. “I’ll tell them some things but I won’t tell them everything.”

Steve sighed, “Bucky…”

“They hurt her. I’m not going to tell everyone what they did to her. I’ll tell them anything but that. It’s personal.”

“Fine. Come on; let’s go get something to eat.”

They trekked into the kitchen, Bucky still leaning on Steve. As soon as they walked in, Tony stalked over to Bucky.

“Sit. I need to fix your arm. The little bitch did something to it.”

With a snarl, Bucky lunged forward towards Tony. Steve grasped Bucky’s arm, restraining him. 

“Don’t you dare talk about her that way,” Bucky growled.

“I think you need to explain, Barnes,” Natasha said sternly.

Glaring at Tony still, Bucky sat down and hefted his metal arm onto the counter. Tony sat down hesitantly and began working on the arm.

“She’s not a Winter Soldier. She’s an assassin. We were a team. They wiped me and made me forget her; kept us separated. The wipe was strong enough to make me forget her until now.”

“What’s her name?” Clint asked. He set down the bowl of cereal had been eating before leaning forward onto the counter. “Who is she? Where did she come from?”

“Don’t know her name,” Bucky grunted, twitching as Tony jabbed into his arm with a sharp tool. “I just called her Doll. They had her before they had me so I’m not really sure where she’s from. All I knew about her past was that she was a nurse in the US military. They snagged her during the war. She was the first successful super human they made. Her only flaw was that the mind wipes don’t work as well on her. A solid blow and she starts to remember. They would have to wipe her a few times and then say her trigger words before she would follow orders. That’s why they wanted me; they wanted to create a soldier who would do what they wanted.”

“Why did they keep her if she wouldn’t follow orders?” Tony asked. “Doesn’t really make sense.”

“She followed orders well enough so they kept her until they completed making me into the Winter Soldier. She became my mentor but as she trained me, she grew close to me. She began following orders better; became docile. She trusted me, so she’d listen to me. Only problem was, I was controlled by HYDRA.”

Natasha nodded. "Barnes, it wasn’t your fault. You were being controlled.”

“Doesn’t matter now, anyways. She’s dangerous and we need to stop her,” Tony said, snapping the last part of the metal arm into place. He patted Bucky’s shoulder before standing up. “And I think I know her weakness.”

“And what would that be?” Bucky said.

Tony smirked. “You.”

"I won't hurt her," Bucky said, firmly.

"You won't have to," Tony assured him. "You just have to lure her out. She wants to save you. Once she's near enough, you try to talk her into leaving with you. And if that doesn't work, you sedate her. Easy peasy."

Bucky leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. With a sigh, he said, "Fine. But give me a few days to rest."

"We'll give you time, Buck," Steve said, clapping his friend's shoulder. "Now let's get you something to eat. I don't know about you, but a hotdog sounds pretty good right about now."


	7. The Target

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! Translation for Russian words are at the end of the chapter. Please leave a comment telling me what you think!!

She sat in the chair, twisting her wrists around in the restraints.

“I need to save him!” she screeched. The doctor’s ignored her, continuing their preparation. 

“Play Thing, the Asset is compromised. He is a danger and you must destroy him,” a man in a suit said from the door way. “Do you understand?”

The girl spat towards him. “Go to hell, you son of a bitch. He is my Comrade. I won’t hurt him.”

“You say that now, Play Thing, but you should realize by now that you will do anything we ask.”

Metal plates swung around and clasped the girls face. She writhed in her seat as she screamed out in pain. 

Once she had fallen silent, the man in the suit stepped forward and began passing in front of her. “Voyna. Zazhivat'. Vosem’nadtsat. Ferma. Molodoy. Siniy. Beg. Nebo. Poterya. Lyublyu. Kolybel'naya.”

The girl sat silently, staring blankly ahead.

“Play Thing? Are you ready to serve?” The man asked, pushing a few strands of hair from her face.

“I’m ready to serve.”  
~~~  
“I’m not wearing this,” Bucky said, throwing his vest across the room. 

“Bucky, if you want to help your friend, then you have to wear this.” Steve picked the vest up and held it out to him. “We’re going to do everything we can to not hurt her, but if she attacks, you need to be safe and ready to fight.”

“Let me go after her alone,” Bucky begged.

“Can’t do that, Barnes,” Tony said as he slipped into the room. “She could play some sort of trick on you.”

“Sorry but I have to agree with Tony on this one, Bucky,” Steve said, giving an apologetic smile.

Bucky shook his head and began pacing. Without warning, he bellowed and shoved his fist through the concrete wall. 

Tony stepped back, his fists raised, ready to defend himself and Steve stepped between the two of them. Bucky raised his hands up in surrender. “I’m good,” he croaked. “I’ll do what you guys think is best. But don’t hurt her.”

Steve gave a curt nod. “We’ll do what we can.”  
~~~  
She watched as her target walked down the street, looking nervously at the helicopter she was in. He was wearing a few layers of clothing, causing him to look bulky. The helicopter flew lower, allowing her to leap onto the overpass below. Her target looked up at her, startled, but he didn’t run. She pulled the gun off her back, took aim, and fired. Her target flew backwards in a heap, and didn’t move.

Quietly, she leapt onto the road below, cars and people screaming out of her way. She stalked down the street and stood over the target. His ball cap had fallen off his head and his long, dark brown hair had draped across his face. 

She brushed his hair out of his face with her gloved hand. He had a strong jaw, extenuated by the course stubble. His eyes were closed, allowing his long eyelashes to fall across his cheeks. She tilted her head curiously. He seemed familiar. She pressed her fingertips to his warm lips. She felt a desire to stare at him longer; take in every detail of his face and commit it to memory. But she knew she had a job to do. She could study him after she confirmed her kill.

She removed one of her gloves and pressed her fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse. A strong, healthy beat throbbed against her skin. Before she could move, he grabbed her wrist in a steel grip. Behind her, gun fire rang out. The Avenger’s were attacking her helicopter. 

She snarled and tried to yank her hand free but he held on tighter. Her bullet had ripped a hole in his shirt and she could see the bullet proof vest underneath. She realized, then, that he had known she was coming.

“Doll, stop,” the man whispered, staring at her with pleading, blue eyes.

She ignored the nagging feeling that told her she knew him. Instead, she rammed her palm into his face and felt his lip break open underneath her hand. “Let go of me,” she snarled menacingly.

Without warning, his other arm rose up and jabbed a needle into the side of her neck. A burning sensation spread through her flesh, causing her to cry out in pain and surprise. She struggled to fight off both her target and the drowsiness spreading through her system. 

Her target scooped her up into his arms, cradling her against his large, warm chest. “It’s okay, Doll. I’ve got you,” he crooned. She flailed weakly before falling unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger words translation: War, heal, eighteen, farm, young, blue, run, sky, loss, love, lullaby


	8. What's Her Name?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think of the chapter!! The comments I'm getting mean a lot so thank you guys!! Warning, there is some cursing!

“Sergeant Barnes, it seems you have something that belongs to me,” a voice called out.

Bucky spun around, his Doll still in his arms. Before him was a man in a pressed suit. The man stood with his hands behind his back and a smirk playing across his face. His pale, well coiffed hair shown in the light. Bucky held the girl tighter to his chest.

“She doesn’t belong to you,” he growled. 

“Oh, I think she does,” the man said, pulling an odd looking gun from behind his back. It took Bucky a moment to realize that it was a HYDRA gun, powered by the alien technology he believed was lost long ago. “As I’m sure you know,” the man continued, walking closer. “This gun could easily kill you. It’s the last of its kind and won’t work much longer, but I am more than willing to shoot you with it. I’d rather not waste its energy on the likes of you, but if I must; I will.”

“You can’t have her.”

“So be it,” The man said, powering up the gun. Bucky turned his back to the man, hunching over the girl. He stared at her face, knowing that it would be the last thing he would see. He heard the blast of the gun, but felt nothing. He turned back around and saw Steve standing there, his shield raised to deflect the incoming ray. 

Tony landed behind the man and took the gun away, crushing it in his iron fist. “Okay, why don’t you put your hands behind your head. Come on, be a good little Nazi."

The man reached into his coat and removed a regular handgun, which Tony quickly smacked away before punching the HYDRA agent, knocking him out.

“Thanks, Steve,” Bucky said gruffily.

“I’m with you til the end of the line, remember? I’ve got your back.”

Sam landed beside the group and smiled at Steve. “Mission accomplished. I’ll get the jet.”

Once aboard, Bucky buckled his Doll into one of the seats. Her head hung limply against her chest. Tony strapped the HYDRA agent into another seat. He stared at the man for a second before ruffling up the gelled, blonde hair. Bucky gave a snort of laughter and Tony looked at him surprised.

“What? I’m petty!” Tony barked, his face flushing. 

The rest of the trip to the Avenger’s headquarters was silent.

They put the man in one cell, strapped down to a chair and they placed the assassin in a steel reinforced cell. The only furnishing in either cell was a metal bed, bolted down to the floor and a toilet in the corner. 

The HYDRA agent woke up first and he raised a ruckus. “Let me out!” he screamed, banging on the walls. “I demand you let me out! I swear, I will kill you!”

“That’s not really the way to persuade us to let you go,” Tony said over the intercom. The man’s head wiped around, trying to find the source of the voice. “Step back from the door. We want to talk,” Tony continued. 

The man sat on the bed and waited. Tony, Steve, Bucky, and Sam walked into the cell. Sam walked forward and cuffed the man’s hands together. 

“What’s your name?” Steve demanded.

The man smiled. “My name is Joseph Madwell. I am the Play Thing’s handler.”

Bucky growled and moved forward. Steve put his arm out, stopping him. “Don’t call her that,” Bucky said menacingly. 

“What would you like me to call her?”

“Her name,” Tony said, leaning against the wall. “What is it? Jessica? Kelsey? She looks like a Mallory to me.”

Bucky gave Tony a strange look, trying to decide if he was joking or serious.

“Come now, do you think I’ll actually tell you her true name?” Madwell said, smirking.

“Can I hit this guy yet?” Bucky whispered to Steve.

Steve chuckled. “Just hold on a bit longer.”

“Give us some information on HYDRA and we’ll make sure you get a comfy cell in prison,” Tony said, standing up straighter.

“I’ll die before I tell you anything,” Madwell spit.

“Barnes, you have free reign,” Tony said with a wave of his hand.

Bucky cracked his knuckles before punching Madwell full force. The man fell backwards, blood flowing freely from his nose. Bucky snagged Madwell’s hair and whipped his head into the wall.

“What’s her name?!” Bucky snarled.

“Go to hell.”

Bucky leaned in close to Madwell’s ear. “I’ve already been there.”

His elbow crashed into Madwell’s face repeatedly. Bucky flung the man across the room and his head cracked against the edge of the toilet. Madwell slumped in a heap on the ground. Bucky stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of Madwell’s hair again. 

Madwell mumbled something that Bucky couldn’t hear.

“What did you say?” Bucky growled, pulling on Madwell’s hair harder, causing him to cry out in pain.

“Valerie. Her name is Valerie Jackson. That's all I'll say, you son of a bitch,” Madwell mumbled through bloody lips. Bucky let him go, allowing him to fall onto the ground again.  
“I’m going to go check on Doll,” Bucky said, stalking from the cell.

“Barnes. Wait up!” Tony said, running to catch up. “You need to get cleaned up before you see your little girlfriend.”

Bucky gave a low growl in the back of his throat, which Tony ignored.

“You look like shit, dude. You’ll scare her if you walk in like that.”

Bucky nodded and walked down the hall to a bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he almost didn’t recognize himself. Blood was all over his hands and arms. Splatters of red criss-crossed his face. His eyes were blood shot and his hair was a mess. 

Slowly, he cleaned the blood from his body. He pulled his long sleeved shirt off, leaving him in only a form fitting tank top. A knock at the door startled him. 

Natasha stepped in with an excited look on her face. “Barnes, she’s awake. Valerie’s awake.”


	9. Need To Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh so sorry about the delay. Things are kind crazy lol. But here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think!!

The girl screamed and punched at the door again, forming another dent.

“Could you please stop doing that,” a snarky voice said over and intercom. She looked up at the speaker and snarled.

“Where am I?” she yelled.

“You’re in the Avenger’s headquarters. Now, stand back, you have a guest.”

She stepped away from the door, all her muscles coiled, ready to attack. The door inched open, revealing the man who she was supposed to kill. He closed the door behind him and she could hear the lock slide into place.

She leapt at the man, wrapping her hands around his throat, slamming him back into the door.

“Valerie. Stop,” the man choked out.

She flinched at his words. A memory flashed through her mind, causing her to close her eyes tightly. 

~~~

A general in the US military was yelling at her. “Valerie!” the general screamed, “This man has been shot!” She rushed over and began working on the injured soldier.

~~~

The man peeled her fingers off from around his throat. “Doll, it’s me. It’s Comrade.”

“I don’t know you!” she yelled, swinging a wild punch at him. He caught her hand and grasped the back of her head gently.

“Valerie, please. You need to remember.”

“All I need to do is kill you,” she hissed.

The man squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry I have to do this, but I need you to remember.” With that, the man’s fist collided with her face, sending her flying. She hit the ground, dizzy. He crouched next to her, placing a hand on her back. “Doll, I’m so sorry. I needed to break the wipe. Please, do you remember me?”

She rubbed her hand along her jaw, grimacing. Her eyes went from a glassy glaze, to a sharp focused look. “Comrade? Where the hell am I? What’s going on?”

Her Comrade smiled. “Doll!” He pulled her into his chest, his metal hand cradling her head, his fingers laced through her hair. “You’re in the Avengers’ headquarters. HYDRA’s been wiping your memory. I’ve gotten all of their programming out of my head and I can help you get it out of yours.”

“Comrade, what are you talking about? We can’t trust the Avengers!” she cried, pulling back.

“Yes, we can. Captain America is a friend of mine from before I was the Winter Soldier. I’d trust him with my life.”

She looked at him startled. “You remember life before HYDRA?”

He nodded. “My name is James Buchanan Barnes. But you can call me Bucky. I’m from Brooklyn. My best friend is Steve Rodgers and I was in the US military. That’s how HYDRA got a hold of me.”

“Bucky,” she said, trying out the name, seeing how it tasted on her tongue. She smiled. “I like it.”

“Your name is Valerie Jackson. You were a nurse in the US military during World War II; same war I was in. I’m sorry, that’s all I know,” Bucky said, brushing her hair out of her face. He searched her face for a reaction, but her face remained blank.

“Val. They called me Val; not Valerie.”

Bucky laughed, revealing all his teeth in a huge grin; a smile that only Steve had seen since Bucky had come off the ice.

“Come on, there are some people I want you to meet.” He took her hand and helped her to her feet. Bucky tried to pull Val to the door, but she stopped, allowing her hand to slide out of his.

“Bucky, I’m not safe enough yet.”

He walked back towards her. “There is someone here who can help. She can make it so that the trigger words don’t work on you anymore.”

Val shook her head. “I’m not sure. What if I have a flashback and hurt someone?”

“That was a fear I had too. But Steve helped me through, just like how I’m going to help you.”

She ducked her head and she began shake it, saying no.

Bucky placed his hand on the side of her face and tilted it up so that she’d look him in the eyes. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes, of course,” Val said without hesitation.

“Then come meet the team. Come with me.”

Val’s jaw tightened. Her eyes became dazed for a brief moment before refocusing. She closed her eyes tightly and nuzzled into the palm of his hand. “I go where you go, remember?”


	10. Meeting The Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all like this chapter! It's a bit serious but the next one is really cute, trust me! Tell me what you all think!

Val followed Bucky into the living room where the rest of the Avengers were waiting. She stayed close to him, hiding behind is broad back. 

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Val,” Bucky announced, stepping aside, revealing her.

She gave them all a shy smile and a small wave.

Steve grinned broadly and walked towards her with his hand extended. “A pleasure to meet you, Val. I’m Steve.”

Val stepped backwards, a look of fear on her face. A growl made its way up her throat and spilled out between barred teeth.

Steve faltered, looking at her in surprise. Val closed her eyes and tried to relax. “Sorry,” she croaked. “Not really used to people yet.”

Bucky put an arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay, Doll. We all understand. Come on, let’s meet people.”

He pulled her into the sitting area where everyone had gathered. Bucky led her to a couch, where she hesitantly sat down.

“Val, this here is Tony, Natasha, Clint, Vision, T’Challa, Sam, and Wanda,” Bucky explained, pointing to each person in turn.

“You tried to break my door,” Tony said in response. 

“You’re the one who was yelling at me for punching the door,” Val snickered. “Sorry about that.”

Tony gave a shrug. “I’ll get it fixed, I guess.”

“Are you hungry?” Vision asked.

Val gave a tentative nod. Bucky stood up. “I’ll get you something to eat. You just visit with everyone okay?”

Val gave another nod and watched his retreating figure.

Tony plopped down next to her, draping an arm across the back of the couch. Val went rigid, her eyes wide. Steve looked between the two of them nervously. 

“Tell us about yourself,” Tony demanded.

“All I know is my name and that I was a nurse in the military.”

“You look young to be a nurse,” Tony said. “Of course, Steve and Bucky look young too but their nearly 100 years old.”

Bucky came back into the room and glared at Tony. “Move,” he snarled.

Tony raised his hands in mock surrender and moved back to his old seat. Val relaxed as Bucky sat back down. 

“Here,” he said, handing Val a glass of water and a plate filled with something Val didn’t recognize. 

“What is this?” Val asked, poking at the food.

Bucky chuckled. “They’re poptarts. I’m not really a good cook so I just got you these,” he said, blushing. “They’re really good, trust me.”

She took a bite out of one and her eyes lit up. “It’s so sweet!”

“Once you get done eating, we should clear out the HYDRA programming in your head,” Sam said.

T’Challa nodded in agreement. “Could you tell us what your trigger words are so that we will be able to test you afterwards?”

Val looked at Bucky nervously. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea…”

“Just write them down,” Clint said, pushed a notepad and pen towards her, she flinched at his motion. 

She took the pad and pen into her shaking hands and wrote out the words. She ripped the paper out of the notepad and folded it into a tiny square before handing it to Bucky. “You hold on to this.”

“I will need to see it so I know exactly what to be clearing out of your head,” Wanda said, leaning forward.

Val looked her over, assessing her. She gave a nod. “Fine, you can see them.”

After Val had finished eating, Bucky led her to the lab. Wanda, Steve and Tony joined them after a few minutes, but Val gave a growl. “I only want Bucky and Wanda in here.”

“That’s not going to happen, sweetheart,” Tony said, leaning against the wall. “We want to be here in case you revert.”

Bucky looked at Steve pleadingly. Steve gave his best friend a nod and took a hold of Tony’s shoulder. “We can wait outside the door.”

Tony began to protest, but one look from Steve silenced him.

Wanda stood in front of Val, her eyes beginning to glow red as she moved her hands in a circular motion. Sparks played between Wanda’s fingers, chasing each other across her palms. 

“Just hold still,” Wanda said, reassuringly. 

Val’s breathing increased as Wanda riffled through her mind and memories. After a few minutes, Wanda dropped her hands. 

Bucky wrapped his arms around Val from behind, holding her steady so he could recite her trigger words. As soon as his hands touched her, Val began to screech and flail.

Steve and Tony burst back into the room. 

“She’s just scared. She’s having some sort of flashback,” Steve assured the others as he grabbed a hold of her legs, trying to help restrain her. Tony pushed Wanda behind him in an attempt to protect her.

Wanda just rolled her eyes and moved out from behind him, her hands raised and ready to help if the super soldiers needed it.

“Comrade! Help! Help me!” Val screamed, writhing within the grasp of the soldiers.

Bucky squeezed his eyes shut and started saying the trigger words. It was difficult for him to say, considering she kept head butting him and ramming her bony elbows into the chest.

Tears streamed down Val’s face. “Comrade, please!” she begged.

A single tear ran down Bucky’s face as he said the last word. But Val continued to flail and scream. He looked over at Wanda. “The words didn’t work! She’s still having a flashback!”

“Well at least HYDRA’s out of her head,” Steve grunted as her foot broke free of his tight grip and rammed into his stomach.

“Doll, its Comrade. You’re okay. Just calm down, please. Just relax,” Bucky whispered. She didn’t seem to hear him as she fought against him. He was scared that if he tightened his grip, he’d hurt her. But he knew if she escaped his grasp, she’d hurt someone else.

Bucky continued to whisper in a calming voice, just like Steve would when he had flashbacks.

It was another minute before she went limp. Steve let go of her slowly and watched as Bucky pulled her into his chest. She balled her little hands into fists as she grabbed Bucky’s shirt.

“Bucky? Did I hurt anyone?”

“No, Doll. You just had a flashback. HYDRA’s programming is out of your head.”

Val’s whole body was shaking as tears silently ran down her face. He scooped her into his arms and left the room without saying anything to the others. Steve followed behind as Bucky made his way to his room. He laid Val on his unmade bed and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be back in a minute, Doll. You’ll be safe in here.”

She didn’t say anything as she curled into a tight ball underneath the blankets. Quietly, Bucky made his way out of the room where Steve was waiting.

“What was that?” Steve hissed.

“I told you, HYDRA did horrible things to her. And I wasn’t able to save her,” Bucky said. He ducked his head and squeezed his hands into tight fists. 

Steve placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled his best friend into a hug. “You did what you could. You had a lot of flashbacks when your memories were coming back so maybe that means her’s are coming back.”

Bucky shrugged. “I hope so.”


	11. Thor's Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I won't be able to post for a few days so I decided to post twice today. Hope you guys like the chapter as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments!! Thanks guys!

When Val woke up, she was in a strange bed. She kicked out in fear and scrambled back to the wall. After a moment, she remembered that she was in Bucky’s room. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at the clock. 

The clock read 3:00 A.M. Val yawned and arched her back, stretching.

A quiet snore startled her and she froze. Val heard it again. Slowly, she crept to the edge of the bed and looked down onto the floor. There laid Bucky, curled up on the carpet. His hair was splayed in a fan around his head and Val wanted to touch it. She looked at his handsome face and smiled. His pink lips were parted slightly, but his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Even in sleep, Bucky had a stern look on his face. He hugged a pillow to his chest, his knees curled up underneath the bottom edge. Bucky mumbled in his sleep and pulled the pillow closer.

A memory flashed through her mind, causing her to gasp

~~~

They sat in the cave, shivering. Snow blew harshly outside as the blizzard howled. They had been on a mission when the storm blew in, causing them to have to find shelter. 

They had nothing to start a fire with and even if they did, they wouldn’t have. It would have given away their position.

Her Comrade lay on the hard ground and opened his arms towards her. She looked at him in confusion. He just gestured for her to come and snuggle up to him.

“What are you doing?” she asked in a flat, stern voice.

“We need to stay warm, so come here.”

She scooted over to him and curled into a ball within his arms. She used his real arm as a pillow while his metal arm was wrapped around her, pulling her closer to his chest. Her face pressed into shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso, snuggling into him. His knees came up under feet and he curled into a ball around her. She was nearly engulfed in his embrace. Her Comrade nuzzled his face into her hair.

They fell asleep like that and didn’t move until the next morning when the storm had stopped.

~~~

Bucky mumbled again and rolled away from the pillow. His skin began to glisten with sweat as he tossed and turned, still mumbling.

Val could tell he was having a nightmare, but she was scared that if she woke him, he’d attack while in his delirious state. Against her better judgment, she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. Bucky froze. She continued to pet his hair, quietly whispering that he was safe.

Slowly, his breath became even and he visibly relaxed. Bucky rolled back over and pulled the pillow back into his chest, nuzzling it gently.

Val watched him for a moment longer before pulling a blanket of the bed and draping it over him. She got out of the plush, warm bed and padded gently out of the room, not noticing Bucky’s blue eyes watching her leave. 

Val reached the living room and looked out the window. She didn’t notice the person sitting on the couch.

“Who are you?” a deep voice rumbled.

She turned and looked at the man in surprise. His long blonde hair was tucked behind his ears, revealing a strong jaw and angry eyes. He stood, his cape swaying softly behind him. He tightly gripped a large hammer as he advanced on her.

“Thor, it’s okay. She’s cool.” Tony said, stalking into the room caring a bowl of popcorn

Thor eyed her quietly before returning to his seat.

Tony gestured for Val to sit, but she remained standing, watching the two men nervously.

Tony just shrugged and turned his attention to the large man across from him. “Thor, this is Val. She was kidnapped by HYDRA but we rescued her. We were able to get all the programming out of her head. We did the same thing with Steve’s friend, Bucky. You remember Steve talking about Bucky, don’t you?”

“Yes, I remember.”

Tony turned and looked at Val again. “Seriously kid, you’re making me anxious just standing there. Sit down or something. Do you want something to drink?”

Val gave a curt nod. Tony stood up with a sigh and made his way back to the kitchen. Val shuffled over to an empty chair and sat down slowly. Thor watched her and once she sat down, he scooted closer to her, his eyes studying her. She flinched away from him, her breathing increasing. 

“They hurt you. HYDRA. They abused you, in more ways than one, didn’t they?” Thor said in a low voice.

Val looked at him in surprise. “How can you tell?” she whispered.

“I have friends who were captured in battle. Their captors abused them; beat them and raped them. Once they were rescued, they acted the same way you do. Scared of men and untrusting of anyone they don’t know. Do the others know?”

Val shook her head. “Only Bucky.”

Thor turned and looked over his shoulder to make sure Tony wasn’t looking. He turned back and unstrapped something from around his wrist. Thor held it out to Val, but she only looked at it nervously.

“Go ahead, take it. I want you to have it,” Thor said, waving the item at her. She took it gingerly. Once she realized what it was, she nearly dropped it in surprise.

Thor had handed her a dagger sheathed in thick leather. Intricate designs were carved into the sheath’s surface and down the multiple straps. She pulled the knife from the sheath and studied it in wonder. It was perfectly balanced and well-crafted. It wasn’t very flashy or fancy, but it was razor sharp and very deadly.

“I don’t think it will fight around your wrist but it could fit around your leg. Keep it hidden; I doubt the others want you to have a weapon yet,” Thor said, moving back to his old seat.

“Why’d you give this to me?” Val asked, strapping the dagger around her ankle and pulling her pants leg back down over it.

Thor smiled kindly. “You’re a warrior; I can tell. But you’re scared when you don’t need to be. So I gave you something to put your mind at ease. Now you can begin healing from what’s been done to you.”

Val smiled and decided in that moment to trust the god-like man. 

Tony returned carrying 3 small glasses in his hands. “One for each of us,” he said, passing a glass to each Val and Thor. Tony drank his down quickly, Thor right behind. But Val looked at her glass questioningly. 

Whatever Tony had handed to her was definitely not water. 

“Drink it. You’ll like it,” Tony said.

Val drank the liquid, only to start spluttering as it burned her throat. “What the hell is this shit?” she gagged.

Tony burst out in laughter. “Now she speaks! And that stuff isn’t shit, its whiskey.”

Thor pulled a bottle from the bag sitting next to him poured some liquid into his glass. Tony held his glass out, pouting. Thor shook his head. “I’ve told you before. This ale isn’t for mortal men. Go get yourself some more whiskey.” Thor turned towards Val and held the bottle out. “You are a super soldier too, are you not? This will taste better, trust me.” Val held her glass out and Thor poured her a generous amount of ale.

She drank it down and scrunched up her nose a little. It burned, but soon the burn turned into a warm sensation that spread throughout her entire body. Tony returned with a bottle of whiskey and poured himself another glass as Thor poured Val some more ale.

Val drank as she listened to the two men talk about Thor’s time on Asgard. She didn’t much care about the politics they spoke of but she liked Thor and wanted to hear about his home. It sounded so magically and fantastic, Val found herself longing to go there.

An hour passed before she and Thor had run out of ale. Tony had made his way through half a bottle of whiskey. Both men were laughing loudly while Val just quietly giggled at Thor’s retelling of a battle. His grand arm gestures nearly knocked over the lamp next to him, but he didn’t seem to notice. 

Steve stumbled into the living room, rubbing his eyes. “Guys, you’re being really loud. People are trying to sleep.” He stopped when he saw Thor and a smile broke out across his face. “Thor! You’re back!”

Thor stumbled across the room, drunkenly. “Brother!” he roared and embraced Steve, who now wore a surprised look.

“Thor, are you drunk? I’d expect this from Tony, but not you,” Steve said. Tony tried to stand up when he heard his name, but only fell back into the couch.

Steve looked over at Tony and then noticed Val, who sat with her hands over her mouth in an attempt to muffle her giggles.

Steve looked at Tony angrily. “Did you get her drunk?”

Tony shook his head and tried to stand again, this time succeeding. “Wasn’t me. It was him!” Tony said jabbing a finger towards Thor.

Steve closed his eyes and pressed his knuckles into the bridge of his nose. “Bucky is going to kill you guys.” He pushed past Thor and made his way over to Val’s side. “Come on, I’m taking you back to Bucky’s room.”

Val just giggled and scrambled up from her seat. “Aye aye, Captain!” Her words only caused the drunken men to laugh louder.

Steve crouched slightly and pulled her arm over his shoulders before wrapping his arm around her waist. “Let’s go.”

Val stumbled along next to Steve. Once they reached Bucky’s room, Steve pushed the door open and fell inside. 

Bucky bolted up into a sitting position when he heard the ruckus. He was surprised to see Steve supporting a very intoxicated Val. When Val saw him, she gave a giggle and smile. “Comrade!” She tripped forward, only for Steve to grab her arm and stop her from falling. Bucky got up and helped guide Val to the bed.

“I got her from here, Steve. Thanks.”

Steve shrugged. “It’s no problem. Thor came back and it looks like he and Tony decided to celebrate. Val just kinda got dragged into it, I think.” With that, Steve made his leave.  
Bucky tried to pull the blankets up over Val but she groaned and kicked them away. She reached out and grasped his arm, pulling him down towards her.

“Bucky…” she slurred. 

He tried to pull away, but her grip was strong. “Val, you need to sleep.”

“Cuddle with me like we used to when it was cold,” she said, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Bucky’s breathe caught in his throat. “You remember that?”

She nodded. “We did it a few times when we got stuck in the cold, didn’t we? I remember being in a cave and a blizzard. We didn’t have a fire so you held me and we kept each other warm.”

Bucky smiled gently. “Fine. Sit up a little.” He crawled into the bed next to her and slid his arm under her head. She wrapped her arms around him as she curled into a small ball against his chest. Bucky pulled Val close and held her, listening to her breathing becoming steady and shallow. She slept quietly against him and it wasn’t long before he was asleep too.


	12. Scans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay in posting. I ended up getting sick and passing out like twice today so it was hard to write. Hope you guys like this chapter! Tell me what you think in the comments!  
> There is a blood mention and kind of a self-harm/injury mention (sorta hard to explain) so just wanted to warn people

Val woke up with a headache and a tingling feeling in her arm. Her eyes opened slowly, yet everything was still dark. It took her a moment to realize hair was blocking her vision. She shifted and pushed the hair out of her eyes. Bucky’s sleeping face came into focus. 

Her arm was pinned under his muscular body. His metal arm was wrapped around her protectively. His brow was furrowed, but he didn’t look upset; just serious.

Val smiled; the memories of the night before coming back to her. “Bucky,” she whispered, causing him to stir.

“Val, are you okay?” Bucky said, his eyes still closed but his arms tightening around his Doll.

“I’m fine. Sorry about last night,”

Bucky chuckled. “I’m just glad you’re getting along with people.”

“I like Thor. I trust him. I don’t trust the others too much. Natasha and Wanda are okay I guess,” she said.

“It’s a step. Now come on. Get up. I bet they’ll want to run some tests today, just to make sure you’re healthy and so they can get a read on your abilities.”

Val tensed up. “Tests?”

“It won’t hurt and I’ll be there the whole time.”

Val buried her face into Bucky’s chest and gave a groan. “This is going to suck.”

They made their way to the kitchen and found Natasha and Clint already up making coffee. Natasha handed a mug to Bucky, but he handed it off to Val. Clint chuckled and pulled a new mug out of the cupboard. 

“We were gonna give her one too, man.”

Bucky shrugged and accepted the coffee. They drank in silence until Steve came in, Tony stumbling along behind him.

“I’m going to need about 5 large cups of coffee before I do anything today,” the billionaire groaned, squinting his yes at the bright lights. 

Steve laughed. “Must be a pretty bad hangover.”

“At least I’m out of bed. Thor is refusing to get up. How is she all bright eyed and bushy tailed? She was as drunk as Thor and I!” Tony said, gesturing at Val.

“We’re trained to handle worse situations than a hangover,” Bucky said darkly. 

An awkward silence fell over the group. Clint loudly slurped from his mug. 

“Where’s everyone else?” Natasha said, breaking the tension.

“Wanda and Vision have gone out for the day. Sam is busy with some of his veteran friends. And T’Challa had to fly home early this morning. He has a bunch of meetings to deal with,” Steve said, moving to the pantry for his breakfast; which consisted of an entire box of protein bars. “What are your plans for the day?”

“Clint and I are going to go visit his family. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them,” Natasha said, leaning against her best friend. 

Tony looked over at Val and Bucky. “I was hoping to run some tests today…”

“I already figured that. Natasha, do you have any clothes Val can wear today?” Bucky said, putting his empty mug in the sink.

“Wash that out,” Tony snapped. Bucky ignored him.

“Yeah, of course. I’ll be right back,” Natasha went to her room and returned with a clean pair of black, cotton shorts and a loose white tank top. “These should fit you.”

Val took them and smiled shyly. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

Bucky patted Val’s back and led her back to his room. “I’ll wait outside the door,: he said, a blush creeping up his cheeks. 

The clothes were a bit big on Val; they were made for a full grown woman. After years of mistreatment, she was underweight. Val wanted to take the dagger Thor had given her to the testing, but she knew Tony would freak out. She looked around and decided to hide it with her clothes under Bucky’s bed. A part of her was scared they’d take her uniform away and Val knew she wasn’t prepared to lose it yet. She knew Bucky wouldn’t rat her out if he found it. 

She started to strap on her boots when there was a knock at the door. 

“Come in,” she called.

Bucky crept into the room and smiled gently when he saw her. She looked to tiny, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest, one boot on and one off. The clothes were obviously too big; Bucky knew he had to get her something to wear. He also knew he needed to help her gain weight. Her brown hair was still up in a messy bun. Strands were loose and framing her face gently. Bucky stepped forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“We’re going to need to get your hair cut, aren’t we?”

Val laughed and continued to put on her boots. 

“We have sneakers you can wear. They’ll be more comfortable than your combat boots. They won’t rub on your legs.”

“Thanks, Bucky. You know, I can’t remember the last time I wore sneakers,” Val said, kicking off her boots and standing to follow Bucky down the hall. They made their way to a lab where Tony was waiting.

“Dang girl, you are scrawny for a super soldier,” Tony said, glancing over at Val before continuing his work on the computer. “You look bigger in your uniform.”

“I wasn’t a soldier. I was an assassin. After they lost Bucky, they put me on more… public… missions,” Val said, rubbing her arms self-consciously. “You don’t have to be big to kill people.”

“We’ll need to get you eating more, Doll,” Bucky said gently.

“Get up on the table. I want to do a scan and a physical exam before we test your abilities,” Tony said, patting the exam table.

Val climbed up tentatively. Tony moved around in front of her and reached out with a tool she didn’t recognize. She grabbed his arm, causing him to cry out in pain.  
“It’s just a thermometer!” Tony snapped.

She let go, looking bashful. “Sorry.”

Tony ran through her physical exam under the watchful of Bucky. Tony had Val lay back on the table so one of his machines could run an scan.

“Looks like you’re fairly healthy, besides our weight. You have a lot more scarring then I anticipated. Steve and Bucky usually don’t get scars like this,” Tony said while looking at the scan results. 

“I may have been the first successful super human from HYDRA, but I’m different than Bucky and Steve.” Val sat up and took a pen off of Tony’s desk. Bucky started to lunge forward, knowing what she was about to do. Tony watched with a mixture of curiosity and horror as Val stabbed the pen into her thigh. She yanked it out and placed it back on Tony’s desk. Not once did she show any pain. 

Bucky grabbed her wrist and growled. “You know I hate it when you do that.”

“He has to see,” Val said sternly.

“See what?” Tony asked.

Val gestured towards her leg where blood was starting to bubble up and spill over her thigh. The flow began to slow as the wound closed itself back up, leaving a ridge of pink scar tissue. Bucky grabbed a paper towel and whipped up Val’s leg, leaving it as clean as it was before.

Tony stared in awe. “The guys can’t do that.”

“The scientists figured out that the heightened healing abilities made it easier to shake off the mind wipes and the brainwashing. I was harder to control, so that didn’t give the ability to Bucky. He has a type of rapid cell regeneration that just increases the healing process. Also makes it so he can’t get drunk,” Val said, goading her Comrade on a fact that always frustrated him. 

Bucky rolled his eyes and leaned back on the table next to Val. “Obviously that’s not a problem you have.”

Val laughed and bumped her shoulder against his.

“Alright, let’s some of your other abilities. Before we start, are there any other secret skills you have that we should know about? And please don’t stab yourself again,” Tony said, sliding the pens out of her reach. “Just use your words.”

“She can shoot lasers out of her eyes,” Bucky said, a stern look on his face.

Tony looked at him surprised. “Really?”

Bucky cracked a tiny smile. “No.”

“I’m about the same as Bucky in everything else. He’s stronger and faster but I’m better at stealth,” Val said, jumping down from the table.

“She’ll need some shoes,” Bucky said, gesturing towards her sock clad feet.

Tony waved his hand for the two to follow him. He led them to a room full of gear. Val chose a pair of dark green and black sneakers, excited to have the chance to choose something for herself.

Tony hooked up a few electrodes to Val and had her run the track. Her top speeds were less than Bucky and Steve’s, just as she had told Tony, but she had better endurance. Next, Tony took her to the weight room. Val laid on the bench while Bucky loaded up the bar with weights and spotted for her as she benched nearly 200 pounds.

Tony shook his head in amazement. “Super soldiers… such show offs.”


	13. The Mall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit fluffy and a bit angsty lol hope you guys enjoy it! Sorry about the delay, I wasn't feeling well. I'm going back to school tomorrow, but I'm hoping to have another chapter up tomorrow.

“You need new clothes,” Tony said, watching Val tug up the loose shorts again. “Let’s go shopping.”

“She can’t go out like that though. These clothes barely fit her,” Bucky said, adjusting Val’s tank top’s strap so that it sat higher on her shoulder.

Val chuckled. “Natasha’s clothes won’t fit me. I have the body of a 13 year old boy.”

“Come on. We’ll figure something out.”

Bucky led Val back to his room and began digging through his drawers. “Here,” he said, handing her a shirt, “Wear this with your uniform pants.”  
He waited in the hallway, waiting for her to finish getting dressed.

Val yanked the bundle of clothes out from under Bucky’s bed. She considered bringing the knife, but realized that it’d be hard to try on clothes with a dagger strapped to her ankle. Val wrapped the knife in her uniform top and pushed it back under the bed. She slipped into the cargo pants before pulling Bucky’s shirt on over her head.  
The red shirt was far too big on her. The sleeves fell past Val’s hands and the hem hit her at her mid thigh. 

When she opened the door to tell Bucky she was dressed, he broke into a grin. “It’s way too big on you but at least you’re all covered up.” He stepped past her, his chest brushing against her shoulder. Bucky grabbed a loose knit cap and placed it on his head before snagging a ball cap from the top of his dresser. He stepped towards Val, standing inched away from her. She tilted her head back to be able to look at him. Her stomach did a flip as her eyes met his blue ones. Bucky’s warm breath hit her face; his intense stare seemed to pierce her.

His metal hand reached up behind her head and grasped the pony tail holder that was trapping her hair into a bun. Bucky slid the elastic from her hair gently; more gentle than she could imagine a mechanical arm being. Val’s brown hair spilled down and fell below her shoulders in messy, tangled waves. His fingers got caught in the knotted mess and he smiled before sliding them free. With his other hand, he placed the baseball cap on her head. 

“We have to fly under the radar today, okay? If people recognize Tony or me, we could get harassed by reporters,” Bucky said, studying her face. “Are you going to be okay out in public? Are you going to be able to handle the crowds?”

“Just stay close to me, okay?” Val asked, pulling the brim of the hat down further.

“I will,” Bucky promised. 

He waited while Val got her sneakers on before donning a pair of sunglasses. They made their way to the living room area, where Tony was waiting. He was wearing a sweatshirt, sunglasses and a baseball cap; the go to disguise for superheroes.

Tony took them to the nearest mall, which was bustling with excited shoppers. Val pressed herself into Bucky’s back, keeping as close to him as possible. Anytime someone got too close for his liking, Bucky would put his arm out a little, shielding Val.

They made their way to the first store without incident. Tony walked confidently ahead and began grabbing clothes left and right. Val stared wide eyed at the busy store. Everything was colorful and loud; something she hadn’t experienced for decades. 

“Come on, slow pokes,” Tony hissed, leading them to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were located. “Try these on for now, so we at least know what size you are.”  
Val tried on the clothes Tony had thrust into her arms. Most of them didn’t fit, but Tony kept throwing different articles of clothing over the door at her until she found a few pieces she liked. He paid for them and dragged the super soldiers to the next store. It took many hours before Tony felt Val had enough clothes. 

“I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat!” Tony said cheerfully, making his way out of the store. Val followed behind with a bag in each hand and Bucky brought up the rear, laden down with a multitude of bags. They got to the food court and tossed the bags into the booth on one side of the table. Tony sat down next to them, giving Val and Bucky the other booth to themselves. Tony handed Val a wad of cash. “You and Barnes can go get something to eat first. I’ll wait with the stuff.”

The two slid out of the booth and wandered the food court, trying to decide where to get food. An unsuspecting man ran into Bucky, stumbling backwards. An angry look contorted the stranger’s face. “What the hell, dude? Watch where you’re going!” He roughly shoved Bucky’s chest.

Bucky averted his eyes and refused to react; all he did was subtly tuck Val behind his back.

“What do you have to say?” the man said, getting up into Bucky’s face. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by a low growl. He looked past Bucky, startled. The scrawny girl in the ill fitting clothes glared furiously.

“Stay away from him,” she snarled.

The man snickered. “You’re going to let your girlfriend fight for you?” He made to move past Bucky towards Val, but Bucky side stepped into his way.

“Just drop it. We’re going on our way,” Bucky took Val’s hand and began to walk towards the nearest restaurant.

The man laughed loudly. “Better run, bitch!” He spat at the back of Bucky’s head.

Val whorled around, her fist up and ready; it connected the man’s face, blood flying. Bucky wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms down.

“Sorry,” Bucky mumbled, walking towards the exit, pulling Val along with him. She struggled against his grip, eyes shut tight. With the way she was snarling, Bucky guessed she was in the midst of a flashback. 

Tony saw the commotion and sprinted across the food court, jumping chairs and skirting around clumps of people. He pulled a syringe from his pocket and whipped the cap off. Once he reached the struggling super humans, he plunged the needle into Val’s soft skin. Her attempts to escape grew weak and she quickly went limp. 

The food court was quiet, watching the scene that was unfolding. Tony scooped Val up into his arms. “Sorry, everyone. She has some pretty serious PTSD. Just trying to get her out and about,” he announced to the onlookers. Tony turned back to Bucky. “Get the bags and meet me at the car.”

Tony laid Val across the back seat before climbing into the driver’s seat. Bucky shoved the bags into the trunk and then climbed into the back seat, cradling Val’s head in his lap. He threw the ball cap off of her head and ran his fingers through her hair, detangling the waves.

~~~

“Doll? Doll, are you okay? Answer me!” The Winter Soldier brushed the brown hair from the girl’s face. Blood was streaked across her skin; the soldier wasn’t sure if it was her’s or someone else’s.

“I’m fine. Think I got a bullet in my side though.” She patted at her blood soaked side. The bullet seemed to have connected with one of the few places on her torso not covered by her bullet proof vest.

Grimacing, she pulled her shirt out of the way and pushed her fingers into the bullet hole. After a moment of digging, she yanked the bullet out and tossed it to the side. The wound closed up, leaving a round scar in its wake. 

Her Comrade scooped her into his arms, causing her to groan in pain. Though she could heal herself, her body ached from the attack. 

He carried her back to the base, snarling at anyone who tried to take her from him. Even his handler wouldn’t get close as he stalked through the hallways to the infirmary. Gently, he placed his Doll on the bed and took his place as guard in the chair next to her. His gun was aimed at the door, ready to kill anyone who would try to disturb her.

It took HYDRA 2 hours to be able to get in there and restrain the soldier.

~~~

Val woke up as they pulled into the headquarters’ driveway. Bucky helped her sit up as she placed a hand to her head.

“Did I hurt anyone?”

“You punched a guy in the face. It’ll probably be all over the news,” Tony snapped. “What happened? Why’d you attack that dude?”

Val sat and thought for a minute, a look of concentration on her face. “The last thing I remember was a guy shoving Bucky. After that, I had a flashback to a HYDRA agent beating Bucky. They had done something to him to make him weak and unable to fight back. I don’t remember why they were hurting him, but I do remember getting angry. I think I killed that agent,” Val said shakily. 

“I tried to lead you away before you could start a fight but the guy spit at me and you lost it,” Bucky said. “Don’t worry though. Everything’s going to be fine. We got you out of their before anyone got seriously hurt.”

Val groaned and put her head in her hands. “I thought I could handle going out but I guess I can’t.”

Bucky patted her back. “It took me a while to be able to handle it, don’t worry. You just need to work on getting your memories back and things will be better.”

Tony stopped the car and popped the lid of the trunk. “Let’s get all your stuff inside and we can get something to eat.”

Bucky took the clothes inside and put them in his room. They quietly at in sandwiches in the kitchen, seeing as none of them knew how to cook a real meal. 

Steve came in a few minutes later, his hair messy, sweat rolling off his face and paint smeared on his clothes. He snatched a large glass from the cupboard and filled it with ice cold water. 

“Wow, what have you been doing?” Bucky asked, eyeing Steve curiously. 

“Tony asked me to set up a room for Val. I'm almost done with the furniture, actually.” Steve wiped his forehead before turning to look at Val. “Do you want to see?”

Val smiled and nodded before standing to follow Steve. She took Bucky’s hand and made him follow along with her.

“You know, you can trust Steve,” Bucky whispered.

She glared at her Comrade. “I don’t know that yet.”

Steve pushed open the door to a room down the hall from Bucky’s. Val stepped in and looked around in wonder.

The room wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either. The walls were a light blue, like the sky. Shelves were hung along one wall and a painting of a beach hung on another. A dresser was pushed up against the wall and next to it was a partially assembled wooden bed frame.

“Do you like it?” Steve asked nervously.

Val nodded, looking around in wonder. “You did all this? For me?”

“Well, yeah! You’re a part of the team now, kid.” Steve clapped her on the back.

Bucky stepped towards them, concerned. He thought Val wouldn’t react well to being touched by Steve, seeing as she didn’t trust him. Bucky pulled up short when he saw Val relax under Steve’s touch; she just continued to smile at the room. 

“Once I get done with all the furniture, I can hang a TV over here,” Steve said, gesturing to the wall opposite the bed. “You can keep books and movies on these shelves here.”  
Bucky watched the two people he cared for most wander the room, making plans for the room. Val’s wide smile lit up the room. 

Steve looked over at Bucky and gave a smug grin. “Val, you keep looking around and tell me what else you think the place needs. I need Bucky’s help with something really quick.”

Bucky and Steve made their way into the hallway. Steve leaned against the wall, still smirking at Bucky.

“What?” 

“You like her,” Steve said.

Bucky chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve known her for years. She’s my friend; I’d hope I like her.”

“No, Bucky. You have feelings for her. You were watching her in there while smiling like an idiot.”

Bucky pushed Steve’s shoulder, laughing. “I care for her, just like I care for you. Seeing her in there, so happy and full of life… it just made me feel good. She’s living again, Steve. I want her to have a life again, after everything HYDRA did to her. She deserves it.”

Steve’s smile only grew bigger. “You’ve got it bad, Buck.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and went back to the door way. He watched as Val ran her hands along the top of the dresser.

She turned to him and bounded over with excitement. “Is this really mine, Comrade?” 

He chuckled and opened his arms, embracing her. Bucky rested his chin on the top of her head. “It’s all yours, Doll.”


	14. Dimitri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit is about to go down!! I know it's short but I had class today so I didn't have much time. Tell me what you think in the comments! Thanks for reading!!

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Madwell yelled. “Hello!?”

“Could you shut up, please? That’d be great,” Tony said, his voice filtering into the cell over the sound system.

Madwell ignored Tony and continued to yell. “I have information!” 

After a moments silence, Tony spoke again. “We’ll be there in a minute.”

Tony walked into the cell followed by Steve. Madwell shook his head. “I’ll only talk to Barnes and Jackson.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Steve snapped.

“If you want to know where the HYDRA bases are, then you’ll let me talk to them. Alone.”

Tony placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “We’ll talk about it.”

Once in the hallway, Steve seized Tony by the front of his shirt and roughly shoved him into the wall. “We cannot let Val and Bucky go in there.”

“Cap, we need that information.”

“What information?” Bucky asked, turning the corner into the hallway. 

“Barnes, what are you doing down here?” Tony asked, looking at Bucky with suspicion. 

“Val was worried about the door she dented and asked me to see if there was any way for her to fix it while she started on washing all the clothes she just got. Now answer my question, Stark.” Bucky moved menacingly towards the billionaire. 

“Madwell says he’ll tell us where the HYDRA bases are but that he’ll only talk to you and Val,” Steve said, stopping Bucky in his tracks. 

“He can talk to me but he can’t talk to Val,” Bucky said firmly.

“Hold up there,” Tony said, “You can’t decide for Val. FRIDAY, call Val for me.”

“Right away, sir,” the AI said.

“Stark! She’s been through a lot. Dealing with Madwell would be too much!” Bucky barked.

“Hello? Tony? What do you want?” Val’s voice asked over the sound system.

“I need you down in the hallway outside of the cells in the basement,” Tony yelled over Bucky’s protests.

“Val, don’t come down here! It’s fine!”

Val chuckled. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Stark! You son of a bitch!” Bucky snarled, lunging at him. “Why the hell are you trying to put her through this?”

Val turned the corner just as Steve wrestled Bucky to the ground. She broke out into a sprint and barreled into to Steve, knocking him off of Bucky.  
She stalked forward, ready to attack. 

“Wait, Val! It’s okay! He was just stopping me from hurting Tony. It was my fault.” Bucky said, moving in between Steve and Val.

She glared at Steve for a moment before relaxing. “Sorry, Steve,” she mumbled. Val turned to Tony. “Why am I down here?”

“Madwell says he’ll give up HYDRA secrets, but only to you and Bucky,” Tony said, smoothing out his hair.

Val looked at the door to Madwell’s cell curiously. “Why only us?”

“We don’t know. You don’t have to do this, Val,” Steve gently said, his voice low and comforting.

She studied the door for a minute longer. “I’ll do it. But Bucky and I should be in uniform. It’ll scare him more.”

Tony scoffed, eyeing her oversized outfit. “Yeah, you definitely need to change. You couldn’t scare a fly in that outfit.”

Val rolled her eyes. She took Bucky’s hand and led him to the elevator. Once inside, he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back against the door. His face was a breath’s width away from her’s. She gave a slight gasp in surprise.

“Why are you doing this?” he whispered, staring intensely into her eyes.

“Bucky, he has answers about who I am, where I came from, and what I did. Maybe I can get some answers from him when we question him about HYDRA. I need to do this, Bucky.”  
A ding told them they had reached their floor. Bucky let go of Val and followed her back to his room. “I’ll change in the bathroom,” he said, grabbing his uniform from the closet.   
Val pulled her top from under his bed and unwrapped it from around the dagger. Hiking up her pants leg, she strapped the knife to her ankle. 

Bucky stepped out of the bathroom just as Val was buckling her bullet proof vest.

“How do I look?” she asked, spreading her arms.

“Dangerous.”

She laughed. “Good. Let’s go.”

Madwell looked up in surprise as the cell door flew open. Bucky strode in confidently, Val slipping in quietly behind him. Both of them moved with predatory stances and deadly grace.

Madwell’s shocked expression quickly changed to a smug grin. “Hello, my little Play Thing.”

Val sneered at him. “Cut the crap, Madwell. You said you’d tell us about HYDRA.”

“Not for free. I want Stark to get me into a safe prison. I’ve made a lot of enemies and don’t want to get my ass kicked.”

Tony spoke over the intercom. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“And,” Madwell said, “I want to ask you both some questions as well.”

Bucky eyed him nervously. “I’m not sure about that…”

“Do you want to know about HYDRA or not?”

“Fine,” Val said, glaring at him. “But we get to start the questioning. Where are the HYDRA bases?”

“There’s one in D.C. and one in California. Those are the two major ones. All the others are just tiny pockets that would fall if the main bases were taken out,” Madwell said, not even a moment of hesitation before betraying his organization. “Now it’s my turn. So, Play Thing, how much do you remember?”

Val froze up. “I… I remember a few missions HYDRA sent me on. And I remember a little bit about my time in the military.”

“You have so much more to remember,” Madwell said, smirking.

Bucky glared at him, but kept his cool for the sake of getting the information. “What is HYDRA planning?”

“They were going to try and use Jackson to end the Avengers, but that plan obviously didn’t work.”

Val looked startled. “Me? How was one person supposed to destroy the Avengers?”

Madwell’s smile only widened. “You had motivation.”

“What type?” Val asked, growing nervous.

Madwell’s laugh rang out inside the cell. “You really don’t remember, do you?”

"What the hell are you talking about, Madwell? Tell me!" Val yelled, grabbing the front of his shirt. She yanked him off the bed and slammed him backwards into the wall. Madwell's head hit the wall with a resounding crack, but he continued to cackle. He looked like a mad man; spittle flying from his mouth, his eyes wide, and his hair a mess.

"Are you sure you want to remember, Play Thing? It might break you."

“Remember what?!” Val screeched.

“Your son, Dimitri.”


	15. Lies or Truth?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh this one was intense!! Tell me what you all think in the comments! Thanks for reading guys!!!

Val froze. Slowly, she released Madwell. 

“I have a son?” she whispered, her eyes wide. Her hands ran across her stomach gently.

“Had. He’s dead. He died right after he was born. He was premature and didn’t make it but we let you believe he was alive so that we could have leverage against you. All we had to do was show you a picture and tell you his name and suddenly, you would remember.” Madwell laughed coldly, “You were convinced you’d get that baby back one day.”

“Who was the father?” Bucky asked, finally overcoming his initial shock.

“Who knows,” Madwell sneered, “This little whore was passed from man to man. She gave birth to the poor bastard years ago; it’d be impossible to trace done the dad.” Madwell eyed Bucky for a moment. Bucky looked at him in horror. “What? Are you surprised? Jealous? How could you want this little skank? This bitch –“ 

Bucky cut off Madwell’s rant with a well aimed punch. He advanced on the HYDRA agent menacingly. “You’ll keep your mouth shut about her.” Bucky kicked at Madwell, connecting with the man’s ribs. He felt a few of them snap. 

The cell door flew open revealing Tony and Steve.

“Bucky! Stop!” Steve yelled.

Bucky turned his back on Madwell to look at his friend, giving Madwell a chance to stand. He moved swiftly, hooking Bucky’s neck with the handcuffs around his wrists. Bucky’s hands flew up to his throat, where the chain was cutting off his air flow.

Just as suddenly as Madwell attacked, he stopped. Val had slipped behind him, unnoticed by all. The sharp dagger gripped tightly in her fist was pressed into Madwell’s throat; not enough to hurt him, but enough to scare him. 

“Let him go,” she said dangerously.

Madwell released Bucky, who went to go stand by Steve. Bucky’s breaths came in sharp bursts as he tried to get air into his lungs.

“You bitch –“

Val pressed the knife in harder. Ruby red blossomed under the edge of the knife. “Silence.”

Once the others had left the room, Val pushed Madwell to the ground and scampered out of the room. Tony quickly locked the door behind her.

“Where did you get that knife?” Tony asked sharply.

“I found it,” Val lied.

Tony grabbed her hand and pulled the knife closer to him so he could get a better look.

“Thor,” he said, matter-of-factly. Tony marched off in search of the Asgardian prince.

“Val, I think it’s best if I took the knife for now. It’d just make everyone calmer,” Steve said, his voice tinged with sadness. “I’m sorry.”

Val took the sheath off her ankle. “I understand. I was trying to hold off on revealing it until I had to.” She slid the dagger into its sheath and handed it to Steve. “This was worth it.”

“I’m going to take her to get changed. We’ll meet you in the kitchen at dinner.” Bucky wrapped an arm around Val and took her back to his room. Once the door was closed, she fell into his arms, holding on to him tightly.

“I had a son, Bucky. I had a son.”

“I know. It’s okay,” he crooned, petting her head reassuringly. 

They stood like that for what felt like forever. Eventually, Val spoke again.

“I don’t think he’s dead.”

“What do you mean?” Bucky asked in surprise.

“HYDRA is full of liars. Until I have proof, I won’t believe my boy is gone.” 

“I’ll help you any way I can,” Bucky said. “I’d do anything for you. But you have to promise me something; don’t try and save me like that again. I could have handled it.”

“I couldn’t help it.” Val tilted her head back so she could look at Bucky’s face. “I have this instinct, Comrade. I have to protect you. If someone is hurting you or you’re in danger, I just have to save you.”

Bucky’s flesh hand cradled her face. He brushed his thumb across her eyebrow and looked into her eyes intensely. His metal hand joined the other and cradled the other side of her face. “I have the same instinct about you, Doll.” Gently, his metal thumb ran along the edge of her bottom lip. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “You’re going to be safe with me, Doll. Just remember that. We should probably get back downstairs for dinner.”

They quickly changed clothes and got back to the kitchen just as Wanda and Vision returned to the headquarters.

“So, what did we miss today?” Vision asked innocently. 

A few hours later, Val and Bucky were wrapped in each other’s arms underneath the warm blankets on his bed. Val was abnormally quiet and still. Bucky could tell she was thinking about something, but he wasn’t sure what.

Val slid out from Bucky’s arms and moved so that she was on top of him, straddling his waist.

“Doll, what are you doing?” he asked in surprise.

“I want to thank you for everything you’ve done to help me,” she whispered. She took the hem of her shirt in her hands and began to pull it over her head. 

Bucky grabbed her wrists, stopping her. “Val, stop. This isn’t how you thank someone.”

She looked at Bucky confused. “This is all I know, Comrade.”

Bucky’s heart broke a little at her words. He sat up, causing her to slide down into his lap. He wrapped his massive arms around her and held her close. “Val, sex should be saved for someone special; someone you love. HYDRA took that opportunity away from you, but you can reclaim it. If you want, you never have to have sex with anyone ever again, do you understand? No one here will ask you for sex or force you to do anything you don’t want to. You are safe here not only from physical harm, but also from the emotional and mental harm HYDRA inflicted on you.”

Tears welled up in Val’s eyes. She nodded her head in understanding before burying her face into Bucky’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be. Here, lay down on your stomach next to me.”

Val did as she was told and turned her face to watch Bucky curiously. “Close your eyes,” Bucky laughed. 

“What are you doing?”

“I used to do this for Steve when he was sick. It always helped him sleep so I thought it might help.” Bucky sat with his back against the headboard and began to run his hand up and down Val’s back. She relaxed under his touch. Quietly, Bucky hummed a lullaby until Val drifted off to sleep. “Goodnight, Doll,” he whispered, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

~~~

He could hear her screaming, but he couldn’t move. He was bolted down to the chair and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free.

Suddenly the screaming stopped. They must have said her trigger words. He snarled and fought harder against the restraints. 

“Soldier, stop,” a voice demanded.

“You’re hurting her.”

“She won’t remember it for long. Neither will you.”

A needle jabbed into the back of the soldier’s neck, causing him to hiss in pain. His mind grew foggy as the serum entered his body.

“Complete the wipe and then transfer him to the new facility.”

“Sir,” a new voice said, “are you sure this wipe will work?”

“Yes, it was specially made for this. After you wipe him, he won’t remember a thing about his precious little Doll.”

“What about the girl?”

“We’ll have to use this serum on her multiple times. Wipes just never seem to stick with her.”

The metal plates clamped onto the soldiers head. His eyes were bleary and he couldn’t fight even if he wanted to. As the machine hummed to life, his last thought was of his Doll.

~~~

Bucky woke in a cold sweat.

Val still slept peacefully next to him. Being careful not to disturb her, Bucky slipped out of the bed. He made his way over to Steve’s room and quietly went in. 

Steve was sprawled across the bed, snoring gently.

“Steve? Hey, Steve?” Bucky whispered, poking his friend’s shoulder.

“Buck?” Steve asked sleepily, looking at the clock. “It’s 3 AM. What’s wrong?”

“I had a dream. Or maybe it was a memory… I saw how they made me forget Val. It wasn’t pretty.”

Steve pulled back his blanket and let Bucky crawl into the bed. “It’s okay, Buck. Just go back to sleep.”

The two super soldiers laid back to back, comforted by the other’s warmth. They didn’t wake up until the morning when they heard a commotion downstairs.

“Steve! Barnes! Get down here!” Tony yelled over the intercom.

They scrambled up and ran to the elevator. When the doors slid open, they saw Thor lifting Val up off the ground while she kicked at Clint. Natasha was holding Clint back as he glared at Val.

“What is going on here?” Steve barked, startling everyone. 

Val and Clint stopped and looked at Steve and Bucky. Thor put Val down and she bolted over to Bucky and slapped him across the face.

Steve grabbed her and pulled her back while Bucky looked on in shock.

“I thought you were gone! I thought they got you!” Val screamed, fighting against Steve’s grasp.

“Val, calm down,” Steve said, “He was just in my room. He had a nightmare.”

She broke away from Steve and marched over to the elevator. Shouldering past Bucky, she left without a word. 

Bucky collapsed into a chair and put his head in his hands. Steve patted him on the back and then looked at the group before him.

“What was happening here?”

“She came downstairs looking for him,” Thor said, gesturing at Bucky. 

“And then Clint had to be an ass and sarcastically ask her why she didn’t just keep him on a leash so she wouldn’t lose him,” Natasha glared at Clint, who hung his head in shame.  
“I didn’t know that that would upset her…”

“She and Barnes were controlled by HYDRA for decades. Who knows what could have been done and said to her,” Tony growled. He turned to Steve. “Then Val tried to punch Clint in the face so we had to separate them.”

“This is my fault,” Bucky groaned. “I should have known better than to leave her alone without saying anything. I need to go check on her.” Bucky stood to leave but Tony put a hand up to stop him.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Barnes. She’s pissed at you enough as it is. Give her some space for a bit.”

“I will go check on her,” Thor said, patting Bucky’s shoulder.

Stepping into the elevator, Thor addressed FRIDAY. “Could you take me to where Val is?”

“She just got done changing clothes and is making her way to the gym via the stairs.”

“Thank you, FRIDAY,” The Asgardian said, pressing the button for the floor he wanted.


	16. Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up, my friends ;) tell me what you think! Thank you all for reading, it means so much!

Thor found Val in front of the punching bag. She wore small, tight shorts and a colorful sports bra along with black MMA gloves. Her hair was wrapped into a tight bun on the back of her head but the slick strands were already starting to come lose and frame her face. She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet and sent rapid jabs into the soft surface of the punching bag. With a roar, Val wound up her hips and whipped her foot around to hit the bag with a powerful roundhouse kick. 

“You have good form,” Thor said, startling her. Val spun around in surprise, dropping her fists.

“Thor! You scared me,” she breathed.

He shrugged off his jacket and stepped out onto the mat. “Want to spar?”

She grinned. “That’d be great actually.”

They circled each other, sizing up their opponent. Val dodged in under Thor’s arm and landed a punch on his exposed side. He laughed good-naturedly and danced out of her reach.

“So why are you so angry with Bucky?” he asked nonchalantly. 

“He should know better than to disappear like that,” Val said, blocking Thor’s kick. “I thought HYDRA had taken him or something.”

Thor nodded in understanding. “You want to protect him.”

“Exactly. And how am I supposed to protect him if I don’t know where he is?”

Val swung a wild punch at Thor’s sternum but he deftly blocked it. Using her momentum against her, he spun her sop that her back was facing him and wrapped his large arms around her, pinning her arms down. Val slammed her head upwards, hitting him in the face. When he still didn’t let go, she kicked his shin and stomped on his instep. Thor hissed in pain.

“You are very strong for your size.”

Val laughed. “Thanks,”

Thor released her and stood back, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “I’m sorry that they took the dagger from you.”

Val shrugged. “I figured they would once they found out I had it. You didn’t get in trouble, did you?”

“Tony wasn’t happy with me,” Thor chuckled. “I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see you use it though. Come on, I want to see how you are with a weapon.” 

Thor led Val over to a rack of blunt weapons. She studied them for a second before selecting a curved knife that had a ring on the end of it. Val slid her first finger through the ring and allowed the hilt to lay across her palm, the blade curving out the bottom of her hand. In her other hand, she held what looked like a miniature scythe; it couldn’t have been longer than a foot and a half. 

“What are these?” Thor asked, looking at the blades.

“This is called a karambit,” Val said, holding up the curved knife. Gesturing to the other weapon, she said, “and this is a kama.” She spun the kama, testing the weight of it.

“You like blades, don’t you?”

Val nodded. “My job was to kill people quickly and quietly. I needed weapons that would allow me to do that. HYDRA trained me with more bladed weapons than I can count.”

Thor picked up a staff and spun it in his hands. “Well, let’s see what you’ve got.”

~

Back upstairs, Bucky was pacing the living room. Sam and Steve watched him as he moved from one end of the room to the other.

“When do you think I can go talk to her?”

“When she approaches you,” Sam said, “Now can you please sit down?”

Bucky glared at him. “I’m going to go find her.”

Steve leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Bucky, you shouldn’t do that.”

Ignoring his friend, Bucky stalked off to the elevator.

“FRIDAY, can you take me to where Val is?”

“Yes, sir”

~

Thor threw Val off of his back and onto the ground. She kicked his legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall next to her. She rolled on top of him and tried to punch at his face, but he caught her hands. Using his hips to lever her up, he rolled her to the side and pinned her down. Val struggled to break free but her strength was no match for Thor’s.   
She gave a laugh and let her head fall back onto the mat. “Good job, Thor.”

He let her up, laughing also. Thor held out his hand to help her up and she accepted it with a smile. He patted her on the back and began to give her tips when he was cut off by a cough.

Standing in the doorway was Bucky.

Val gave him a cold look, but Bucky didn’t back down.

“So, what are you two doing?” Bucky asked, glaring at Thor.

“We were just sparing. I wanted to see her fighting skills for myself,” Thor said, clapping Val on the back again.

Bucky continued to glare. “Mhm. Okay then. Val, I can I talk to you. Alone.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine,” 

Val followed Bucky to the elevator. They made their assent in silence. Once they reached Bucky’s room, he slammed the door angrily. 

“What the hell was that, Val?!”

She looked at him in surprise. “You’re mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad.” Bucky closed his eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t anger with her; he knew that. But he felt something that he hadn’t really experienced before. Seeing Thor hovering over Val like that had just set him off; it was like a monster roared to life inside of him. A need to rip Thor limb from limb had overcome Bucky. 

“Then what is your problem?”

He looked back at her only to have to turn away again. Sweat glistened on her exposed skin and her chest was still heaving with heavy breaths. Bucky wanted to reach out and run his fingers through her messy hair; a desire he had never felt before.

“I’ll explain once you put some clothes on,” Bucky moved to leave but Val grabbed his shoulder. She spun him around and slammed him backwards into the door. She glared up into his face.

“You’ll explain now.”

Bucky took a deep breath, ignored the nagging feeling that what he was about to do was a bad idea, and lunged forward to plant his lips against Val’s.

She gave a squeal and jumped backwards. Her eyes were huge and her hand was pressed to her mouth.

“I’m sorry! Oh god, I’m sorry!” Bucky said covering his face with his hands. “I don’t know what came over me. It’s just, I saw you with Thor and I got so jealous. The way he looks at you… it just makes me so mad.”

He continued to ramble until he felt small hands on his wrists. Bucky allowed Val to move his hands away from his face. His eyes met her’s and he saw laughter and joy in their depths.

“Comrade, you idiot. Thor loves someone else. He has no interest in me.”

“But… he was touching you…”

Val laughed a little. “Because I was upset and needed to get my mind off things. He was just sparring with me; nothing else.”

Bucky breathed a sigh of relief, though his cheeks were still blushing red. 

“Doll, could you do me a favor please?”

“What would that be?”

“Put some different clothes on. Those are seriously distracting.”

Val smiled mischievously. She ran her hands up his chest and snaked them around to the back of his head. Slowly, she leaned in closer to his face. Her lips ghosted across his. Bucky could feel her smirking. Gently, she closed the gap and kissed him.

Bucky wasn’t exactly sure what to do, but Val took one of his hands and placed it on her side before her hand returned to his neck. Bucky wrapped his arms around Val, pulling her in closer. Her fingers worked their way into Bucky’s soft hair and tugged gently, causing him to groan. His tongue teased at her lip, but before anything else could happen, a knock at the door startled them.

“Hey it’s Steve. Can I come in?” the Captain said on the other side of the door.

Val broke away from Bucky quickly and dashed into the bathroom, grabbing one of Bucky’s shirts along the way.

“Yeah, pal. Come in.”

Steve pushed the door open, took one look at Bucky, and busted out laughing. He tried to stifle his laughter, but the look on Bucky’s face made it difficult. 

“Sam owes me 10 bucks,” Steve snickered.

“What are you talking about?” Bucky asked, confused.

“You and Val. I knew you two had a thing for each other.”

Bucky’s face turned bright red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bucky,” Steve chuckled, “your hair is a mess, your pupils are huge, and your lips are kinda swollen. I’ve known you since we were children. I know what you look like after you’ve made out with a dame.”

Steve didn’t think it was possible, but Bucky’s face turned even redder. He coughed nervously and tried to smooth his hair out. “Why are you here?”

“Tony thinks he located one of the HYDRA bases Madwell was talking about. He wants everyone in the meeting room.” Steve grinned. “Make sure you’re presentable.”

Bucky picked up a sneaker that was lying on the floor and chucked it at Steve’s head. The super soldier dodged it and laughed before scampering out of the room.

The bathroom door cracked open an inch. “Is he gone?” Val asked.

“Yes, he’s gone,”

Val tiptoed out of the bathroom. She had slipped on Bucky’s shirt, which was ike a dress on her, and was carrying her shorts and sports bra. “Hey, Bucky? Could you go grab me some shorts from my room?”

Bucky smiled and walked over to his dresser. “Just wear a pair of mine.”

“So…” she said nervously. “Steve knows about what we were doing…”

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground bashfully. “Yeah, he figured it out… sorry.”

Val shrugged. “Steve is one of the few I like here, so it’s fine. Will he tell anyone?”

“He’ll tell Sam. since they had a bet. Sam will then tell everyone.”

“Damn bird-man,” Val growled.

Bucky laughed. “You can chew him out in a minute. We need to get to this meeting.”

“Lead the way, Comrade.”


	17. Locations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that its so short! Tell me what you think though!

The Avengers sat around the oval table and looked at the screen. Tony was displaying a map of Washington D.C. A few bright red dots speckled the city.  
Bucky and Val walked in late. Steve and Sam smirked at them as they walked in. Blushing, they quickly took their seats.

“Thanks for joining us,” Tony said sarcastically. “Now, as you guys can see, I’ve marked where I think the base could be. We have two options to get this confirmed. 1) we search every single location or 2) Bucky and Val take the map in to Madwell and force him to tell us where the base is.”

“Val is not going back in there,” Bucky said forcefully.

Val opened her mouth to protest but Steve cut her off. “That might be for the best, Val.”

She glared at him. “I should be in there. He may try to mess with my head, but if Madwell’s more likely to give us information if I’m there for him to torment.”

“I have to agree with the pipsqueak,” Tony said. “He seems to enjoy upsetting Val but when he thinks he’s gaining something, he talks.”

“I can stand in the hallway and if anything goes wrong, I can knock Madwell out,” Wanda offered.

“Why doesn’t Wanda just search his mind?” Bucky asked.

“Madwell has some sort of blocks inside his mind. He can resist her powers,” Vision explained.

“Bucky,” Val said in a low voice, “We need to find this base.”

Bucky sighed and his shoulders sagged. “Val, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She patted his hand. “I’ll be fine. I’m tough.”

Bucky argued with the gathered group for another few minutes before they finally wore him down.

“If I think the conversation is going into a dangerous zone, I’m pulling Val out of there,” Bucky insisted. 

“Fine. Now you two need to go get dressed. You don’t need to wear your uniforms though,” Tony said. He flicked his wrist and the image of the map zoomed from the large screen on to the tablet sitting in front of him. “I’ll meet you both downstairs.”

Val and Bucky went upstairs to the hallway with the bedrooms. Bucky made his way to his room and was startled when Val wasn’t following him. He had forgotten that she had her own room and own clothes.

Once inside his room, he found little things that reminded him of her. A ponytail holder sat on his dresser and he smiled at the little orange band. It was so bright and colorful, unlike the rest of the room. Bucky quickly put on some dark blue jeans and a tight, black shirt. He looked at the hair tie one last time before snagging it and using it to put his hair into a bun. Bucky stood in the hallway, waiting for Val to emerge from her room.

When she did enter the hallway, he was shocked. Val wore a pair of tight, red jeans and a white t-shirt. In the outfit, Bucky could see just how thin she was. He made a mental note to get her to eat more.

In her arms, she carried a black leather jacket that Bucky remembered helping her pick out at the mall. Her long hair hung in a curtain down her back, pushed back from her face by a black headband. Val’s face was clean of any make up, but Bucky thought she was beautiful without it. 

She turned and looked at Bucky. He could tell that under the strong expression she was wearing as a mask, she was scared. Bucky extended his metal arm and she slipped into his embrace. They walked back to the elevator, his arm wrapped around her, pulling her into his side. 

Once inside the elevator, Val leaned on one of the walls. Bucky smiled gently at her and studied her face as though he was trying to memorize every detail.

“What are you looking at?” she asked with mock aggression.

“You’re very pretty, Val.”

Val blushed deeply. “Oh… thanks, Comrade.”

He stepped closer to Val and tipped her head back so that she was looking at him. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” she replied breathlessly.

“Would you be my girl? I know things are really crazy and I understand if you don’t want to, but I really care about you and-“

Val cut off Bucky’s rambling with a chaste kiss. “Yes, I will.”

Bucky’s face lit up with joy. He pressed his forehead against hers, but before he could speak, the elevator doors began to slide open. They quickly jumped apart. Val coughed awkwardly and dashed out of the elevator quickly. 

Tony was waiting for them outside the cell door. “You guys ready for this?” he asked, handing the tablet to Val.

“We’re ready,” she said confidently. 

Bucky reached past her and pushed the door open.


	18. The Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY!!! I have been so crazy busy and have had no time to write! Please tell me what you all think, okay? It means a lot!

“Ah, visitors,” Madwell said sarcastically. He lay on his bed, eyes cast towards the ceiling.

“Knock it off, Madwell. We need information,” Bucky said standing over the HYDRA agent. 

“You know my conditions,” Madwell smirked.

“Fine. Ask a question,” Val said, leaning against the wall.

Madwell smirked. “Tell me, Play Thing. Did you like when I touched you? You seemed to. The way you moaned and writhed beneath me. I think you secretly enjoyed it, Play Thing.”

Bucky stood up, cutting Madwell off. With his metal hand, Bucky grabbed Madwell’s throat and lifted him from the bed. The plates of the arm clinked and the gears whirred as his grip tightened. Rushing forward, Bucky slammed Madwell into the wall.

“Bucky, that’s enough,” Val said in a stern voice. “Leave.”

Bucky looked at her in shock. “I am not leaving!”

“Yes, you are. I can’t get the information we need if you kill him. I’ll talk to you about this later. Now, go wait in the hall.”

Bucky glared at her for a moment before dropping the HYDRA agent. He walked up to Val and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Val smiled. “I’ve got this, Comrade.”

She turned back and crouched in front of Madwell. He rubbed his throat, glaring at the petite girl. “You didn’t answer my question, Play Thing.”

“I don’t remember what you did to me, Madwell. And I don’t want to. Now,” she held up the tablet so he could see, “tell me where exactly the base is.”

He squinted at the screen and tapped on one of the dots. “That one. That’s where the base is.”

Val stood to leave, but stopped when Madwell spoke. “I deserve to ask a second question.”

She looked at him suspiciously. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“How do you feel about Barnes?”

Val was taken by surprise. “What do you mean?”

“He’s so protective of you. You two had a connection for years. Why? How?”

Val sat down on the edge of the bed and thought for a second. “We needed each other. HYDRA had taken both of us and forced us to be different people. Both of us needed support so we bonded. We went on countless missions so I guess we became friends through circumstance. Now, I can’t imagine a life without him. He’s my rock.”

Madwell nodded thoughtfully. “Alright. I’m done. Off my bed unless you’re going to strip.” He gave her a sleazy wink.

Val scoffed and stormed out of the cell, slamming the door behind her. She went up to the living room and found everyone gathered in front of the TV. Tony had a laptop top out in front of him.

“Good job, pipsqueak. I’m researching the facility now,” Tony said as she walked in. 

Val looked surprised. “Were you watching me?”

Tony nodded and gestured to the TV. “I had FRIDAY play the security footage up here so we could see what was going on. By the way, we’re going out tonight. Be ready to go.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Val asked defensively.

Tony finally turned to look at her. “Nothing. But you need to wear something nicer."

Val huffed and moved to go back to the elevator. 

“I’ll come with you. I need to change too,” Bucky said, standing.

Once upstairs, Bucky stopped Val. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Only if you help me choose something to wear because I don’t really know what people wear anymore.”

Bucky laughed and followed Val to her room. When he stepped inside, he smiled. Steve had put so much work into making this room perfect for Val. He watched as she made her way to the closet and began yanking clothes out. She tossed them onto the bed before turning to look at him.

“Why so quiet? I thought you wanted to talk.”

Bucky’s smile shrank a molar. “I wanted to know if you meant what you said to Madwell; about me being your rock.”

“Of course I meant it,” she said, picking up a dress and holding it up to herself. She looked in the mirror, turning from side to side, trying to decide if she wanted to wear it. “What do you think of this dress?”

“I think it’ll be too casual for whatever Tony has in mind. He likes to go to nice places.” Bucky sat down at the foot of Val’s bed as she tossed the dress onto the pile of clothes. 

“Thank you.”

Val looked at him, confused. “For what?”

“For saying what you did. It meant a lot.”

She smiled at her friend. Val moved so that she was standing between Bucky’s knees and placed her hands on his shoulders. “You’ve helped me with so much, Comrade. Without you, I’d be lost. You saved me from HYDRA. If you hadn’t gotten me out, who knows what they would have made me do.”

Bucky stood up, is chest nearly brushing against Val’s face. She had to crane her head back to look up at him. 

“I couldn’t abandon you, Doll. You’re my best girl,” Bucky said before leaning down and pressing his pink lips to her forehead. “Now, let’s find something for you to wear.”  
He dig through the pile of clothes on Val’s bed and pulled out a red dress. “I don’t remember this one. Try it on.”

Val took the dress and stepped into her bathroom. While she was changing her clothes, Bucky went over to look at the papers littering her desk. Wobbly handwriting was scratched across the pages. Bucky smiled as he shuffled though the papers; Val was writing down memories. Some of them were sad or horrible, but some of them were also happy. At the bottom of the pile, Bucky noticed the corner of a paper that was different than the others. He pulled it out from under the other papers. His breathing stopped. 

It was a sketch of the two of them. The drawing was only of their heads, but the detail was impeccable. She had caught the glint of mischief in her own eyes and the characteristic furrowing of his brow.

“Like what you see?” Val said, a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Yeah, this is amazing, Doll! When did you-“ Bucky’s voice broke off when he turned to look at her.

Val stood in the doorway of the bathroom, leaning on the door jam and grinning. The red dress hit her mid thigh. The fabric clung to her body, showing off the few curves she had. The dress cut straight across her chest and a golden chain attached to the center over her sternum. The chain looped up around her neck, holding the dress up. Over all, Bucky found her undeniably sexy.

“Uh… Oh… Wow, Val. You look… Wow…” Bucky stuttered.

Val’s grin widened. “So this is a good choice?” She walked over to the closet and snagged a pair of golden pumps. Val made her way back to the bathroom, leaving the door open. Bucky stood in the doorway, watching her finish getting ready. She pulled her long, snarled hair into a messy bun. As she reached for her makeup bag, Bucky came up behind her and pulled the elastic from her hair.

“What are you doing?” Val asked, snatching the hair tie from his hand.

“We need to cut your hair. It’s a mess.”

Val sighed. “Fine. Go get some scissors.”

As Bucky left the room, she called after him, “I get to cut your hair too!”

He waved his hand dismissively and went to get supplies. When Bucky returned, he found her applying some clear lip gloss. Val had only put on a minimal amount of makeup; foundation, mascara and now the lip gloss. 

“Alright, Doll. Sit down.” Bucky wrapped a towel around her shoulders. He brushed the tangles from her hair and ran his fingers through the silky mass. “How short do you want it?”

“Hack off anything that’s damaged.”

Most of the hair was damaged, so Bucky had to cut off her hair at the tops of her shoulders. As the brown strands fell to floor, Val gave a shiver. 

“My head feels so much lighter.”

Once Bucky had finished, he pulled the towel off her shoulders. Val looked in the mirror and gasped in shock. “It’s so different. Do you like it?” she asked, a look of worry on her face.

“You look beautiful,” he said, smiling.

Val’s face lit up and she ran her hands through the soft strands. “Thanks, Comrade. Now it’s your turn.”

He sat down on the tub, slightly worried. He couldn’t remember the last time his hair was cut. Bucky pulled the towel around his shoulders tightly and closed his eyes. Strands of hair fell away, causing a cool breeze to ghost across his newly exposed skin. Many moments later, Val brushed her hand across the back of his neck, knocking away cuttings of hair. 

“Almost done,” she said, pulling a drawer open and pulling out some pomade. She ran the product through his hair, styling it. After a few moments, she stepped back, allowing him to stand. Bucky stood to look in the mirror and was floored.

He looked like he did back in the 1940s; he was himself again. 

“I love it, Doll.” He kissed her forehead in thanks. 

Val’s cheeks turned pink and she looked down. “I think you look very handsome. Now, go on. Get out! I need to finish getting ready and you need to get dressed.”

Bucky chuckled and made his way to his room. He quickly pulled on some nice black slacks and a dark gray button on shirt. Bucky put on a black tie with a red tie pin and slipped his metal hand into a black leather glove. He looked into the mirror one last time and smiled. 

Bucky went back to Val’s room and knocked on the door. She opened it and smiled up at he a Comrade.

She had styled her hair in a scrunched up ruffle that framed her face well. She had added some black eyeliner around the rims of her eyes. Some golden bangles adorned her wrist and jangled quietly.

“Don’t you clean up nice!” she exclaimed.

“I could say the same about you,” Bucky growled. He couldn’t contain himself anymore. Bucky cradled her face and pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. 

A cough startled them, causing them to jump apart. Sam stood in the hallway, smirking. “Aren’t you two cute? Nice haircuts, by the way.”  
Bucky glared at his friend and put his arm out to Val. She took his elbow and he escorted her to the elevator. Sam made to follow them but Bucky growled lowly at him. Sam put his hands up in surrender. 

Once on the first floor, they met with Natasha, Steve and Tony. Steve looked at Bucky in surprise while Tony and Natasha had eyes only for Val.

“Buck! Your hair!”

Bucky gave him a toothy grin. “I’m back to my old self, Steve.”

“You look nice,” Natasha said to Val. Natasha was also in a tight dress except hers had no straps and was pure black. 

Tony laughed. “Yeah, real nice. Boys will be all over you.”

“Boys?” Val asked, confused.

“We’re going to the club, pipsqueak.”


	19. Dancing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry about the delay! Things are just so crazy right now but I swear that I'm trying. Please leave comments and tell me what you think! It means the world to me!

The music was deafening. The bass pumped in a steady rhythm that Val could feel resonating within her ribs. The lights flashed over the crowd of sweaty dancers.

Bucky looked down at Val and saw that her eyes were huge as she took in the club. He wrapped his arm around her protectively. She melted into his side and they fit together like two puzzle pieces. 

“Let’s get some drinks!” Tony yelled over the music. He led the way to the bar and everyone got a drink. 

Thor drank his quickly and then frowned at his empty glass. “This is not strong. I should have brought my own.”

Steve gave a laugh. “I wish you had. Then maybe I’d have a chance at getting drunk.”

“Come on, I want to dance,” Wanda said, taking Natasha’s and Val’s hands. She dragged her friends out to the dance floor. Natasha and Val moved fluidly to the music while Val awkwardly stood and watched them.

Natasha took Val’s hands and spun her in a circle, causing the girl to giggle. “Just loosen up and move to the music.”

Val closed her eyes and began to sway. Soon, she was moving just as gracefully as the other girls.

Back at the bar, Vision watched the girls curiously. “Val is quite a good dancer,” he commented. 

Bucky turned from his conversation with Steve to see what Vision was talking about. He nearly spit his drink out. Bucky watched the sway of Val’s hips and the suggestive ways she moved her body. Her eyes were closed and Bucky could tell she was just living in the moment as she felt the music. 

“Where the hell did she learn to dance like that?” Bucky said to Steve.

Steve turned and looked at Val. His eyes grew wide and his cheeks reddened. Quickly, he ducked his head away. “I don’t know, Buck. But… you might want to just keep an eye on her… some guys might get ideas.”

Bucky’s brow furrowed. “I won’t let them near her.”

Tony and Clint drank a few more shots before going to join the girls. Thor continued to try and get himself drunk, but was finding that it was hard to do with the alcohol on hand. Vision eventually finished studying the dancers and made his way to Wanda’s side; he had decided to try and dance for the first time. Steve and Bucky continued to talk at the bar. Steve had never gone dancing before and didn’t feel up for trying. Bucky just didn’t know how to dance to this music. 

A hand slid up Bucky’s back to his shoulder and a warm body pressed up against his arm. The stench of alcohol and perfume filled his nose.

“Hey there,” a girl slurred. Her white blonde hair glowed in the lights and her tan skin made her blue eyes pop. “You’re really sexy.”

“Um… thanks,” Bucky said, shrugging her hand off. “I’m here with someone.”

The girl eyed Steve. “Him?”

Bucky looked at her confused. “What?”

“Because if it’s him,” the girl sidled over to Steve and ran her hands up his chest, “I’d be down for a three-way.”

Steve removed her hands from his body. “We aren’t interested, sweetheart. I think you’ve had a little too much to drink. Is there anyone we can call to come get you?”

The girl laughed so hard that she lost her balance. Steve had to catch her to keep her from falling. “My boyfriend left me for my best friend. That’s why I’m here alone, sweet-cheeks. Come on, why won’t you come back to my apartment with me? I’d make it worth your time.”

Steve looked over her head to Bucky. “Let’s get her a cab.” 

The two super soldiers coaxed the girl out the front door to the street. While they waited for a cab, she started to throw up in the bushes. As Steve held her hair back, Bucky took her purse to find out any information on her. After a bit of digging, he found that her name was Marissa and he found where she lived.

“Marissa, the cab is here. Come on,” Bucky said, helping her to stand up straight. Once she was safely in the back of the cab, Bucky handed the driver a couple bills and told him the address. “And could you watch her get inside? She’s a little tipsy if you can’t tell.”

The driver looked at her with a sneer. “I have other customers.”

Bucky handed him another bill.

“I can make time for this one though. You boys have a good night.” The driver peeled away from the curb at break neck speeds and disappeared around the corner. 

“We should get back inside,” Steve said.

Bucky nodded in agreement. He'd left Val alone longer than he wanted.

The scene inside the club stopped Buck in his tracks. Val was leaning on the bar with a drink in hand while a tall, thin man stood too close to her for Bucky’s liking. The man seemed to be hovering over her. His light red hair hung in his eyes, but Bucky could see the smug grin plastered on his face. Val seemed to grabbing onto the bar to keep herself steady. One of her hands was pressed to her forehead and her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Val’s knees buckled and the man caught her.   
Bucky stormed through the crowd, pushing people out of his way. He approached the red-headed man, glaring. The man had wrapped an arm around Val’s middle, supporting her, and had draped her other arm around his shoulder. As Bucky got closer, he realized she wasn’t completely unconscious, just loopy and weak.

“What are you doing?” Bucky growled.

The man gave him a charming smile. “My girlfriend here has had too much to drink. I’m just taking her home before she causes a scene.”

“That’s interesting,” said Bucky, “seems you’ve mistaken my girl for yours. How about you let her go?”

The man had a panicked look in his eye. “You’re funny, bro. I need to take my girlfriend home so if you’d please just move…” the guy tried to side step Bucky, but didn’t get far.  
Bucky’s metal hand grabbed the back of the man’s shirt and pulled him backwards. The man gave a surprised yell and let go of Val. She fell forward into Steve’s arms, who had finally caught up with Bucky. 

“What’d you give her?” Bucky snarled.

“I didn’t do anything, man!” he yelled.

A security guard walked up and looked at the two men appraisingly. “What’s going on here, boys? Why not take this outside?”

Bucky tightened his grip on the man’s shirt, causing the metal plates of his arm to whorl. “This bastard drugged my girl.”

The guard looked over at Val. Her eyelids were drooping and she was limp in Steve’s arms. The guard turned back to Bucky. “Call the cops. I’ll take this creep to the back room to wait for them to get here. As soon as you’ve called the cops, I’d get her to a doctor.”

“I’m going to take her to the car and call the police. Can you get everyone else?” Bucky asked Steve as he picked Val up. She gave a groan and completely passed out in Bucky's arms.

Steve nodded and took off through the crowd to gather the Avengers.

Outside the club, Bucky snapped at the valet to get the cars. There had been so many of them they had to take two vehicles. Bucky opened the back door of one of the cars and draped Val across the seat before climbing in after her. He held her in his lap and stroked her hair. 

Steve and Thor climbed into the front seat of the car and they took off towards the headquarters.

“I don’t understand,” Thor said. He turned and looked back at the unconscious girl. “Val can’t get drunk on Midgardian drink. Why is she like this?” 

“I think he drugged her. We'll have Tony run some tests when we get back,” Steve told the God-like man beside him.

Once back at the headquarters, they took Val to the lab and laid her on a table. 

“FRIDAY, run a full body scan,” Tony demanded.

“She appears to be in perfect health. I need a blood sample to run more tests,” the AI chimed.

Tony gathered the necessary supplies under Bucky’s watchful eye. “I wish we had a real doctor to do this stuff instead of a robot,” the super soldier grumbled.

Tony turned to speak but was cut off by a third voice. “You do.”

They turned to the speaker in surprise. Bucky didn’t recognize the smaller, brown haired man. His clothes looked dirty and frayed. The man looked like he hadn’t slept in days; the bags under his eyes were a dark purple-black. He gave a shy smile. 

“Tony-“

Tony ran forward and embraced the man. “Bruce, it’s so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Tony,” Dr. Banner said. He looked over Tony’s shoulder at Bucky. “Who are you?”

“That’s the one and only Bucky Barnes. AKA the dude Cap wouldn’t shut up about,” Tony said, releasing Bruce from his embrace.

“Nice to meet you,” Bucky grumbled. “How did you get in here?”

Bruce smiled sheepishly. “FRIDAY let me in. I asked her not to tell anyone since I knew Tasha is going to be mad at me.”

“She’s mellowed,” Tony assured him.

“You’re a doctor?” Bucky questioned.

“Not a medical doctor but I know how to interpret the results of basic tests.” Bruce picked up a syringe and moved to Val’s side to draw some blood. As soon as the needle touched her skin, her eyes flew open and she screeched. She knocked the syringe from Bruce’s hand and tried to hit him. Bucky quickly tried to pin her down, but she fought her hardest.

“Get Steve!” Bucky yelled.

FRIDAY’s voice blared throughout the headquarters, “Captain Rodgers, you are needed in the lab. It is an emergency.”

Loud footsteps came from outside the door and Steve barreled inside the lab at full force. He grabbed Val’s legs and used his entire body weight to hold them down while Bucky held down her torso. Thor stepped in curiously.

“Grab her arm!” Bruce demanded.

Thor moved with surprising speed to snag Val’s arm in his meaty hands. Bruce quickly jabbed the needle into Val’s arm, causing her to scream louder. Once he had enough blood, he stepped back. 

“Val! It’s Bucky, your Comrade. It’s just a flashback. You’re safe. Val!” 

Tony pushed past Bruce and jabbed a second needle into Val’s arm. She went rigid, then limp. “That should keep her sedated for a little while longer.” After seeing Bucky’s stunned face, Tony continued, “Don’t worry; it’s completely safe.”

Natasha stumbled through the open door, pinching the bridge of her nose. “What the hell is going on? I have a headache already as it is…” she trailed off when she saw Bruce.

“Tasha…” he started.

Natasha moved across the room as if in a dream. She stood in front of Bruce and gently reached out to touch his face. She pulled her hand back at the last second, as if she was burned. Suddenly, Natasha pulled her lips back in a snarl and slapped Bruce.

He stumbled back into a table while Thor grabbed Natasha and lifted her off the ground. She kept kicking and yelling at Bruce. “You left! Why would you leave, Bruce? Why? You bastard! I was scared you were hurt! Thor, let me go! Clint! CLINT!”

Clint had heard Natasha’s screaming and came running. He sprinted into the room and without stopping to look at anyone, leapt at Bruce.

Bucky dashed forward and caught the blood sample that had fallen from Bruce’s grip. He quickly moved back to Val’s side, not wanting to get into this fight.

Clint had Bruce pinned to the ground and was repeatedly punching him. Bruce made no move to defend himself.

“That’s enough,” Steve said, lifting Clint off of Bruce.

“What the hell was that about?” Tony asked the archer.

Clint wiped the blood from his knuckles with a paper towel he found by the sink in the corner. “He broke Natasha’s heart. You guys should realize by know that if someone hurts, Tasha, I hurt them.”

“I deserved it,” Bruce groaned.

“Can we do this later?” Bucky interrupted angrily. “I want to know what the hell that guy did to Val."

Bruce took the blood sample from Bucky’s outstretched hand and poured a few drops onto a slide. He put the slide in a slot and allowed FRIDAY to scan it. A sheet of paper was printed out and Bruce studied it intensely. “Rohypnol. Also known as a roofie.”

“Never heard of it,” Bucky said, confused.

Tony took the paper and glared at it. “It’s actually pretty common. It’s known as a date rape drug. Her enhanced healing abilities will help to get it out of her system faster but she’s probably going to be out of it for a while. When she wakes up, be ready for her to have another flashback. Once she’s calm, we’ll get some food in her. That might help too.”

“I’m taking her upstairs,” Bucky said sternly, scooping the sleeping girl into his arms. He marched from the room, leaving the rest of the Avengers to work out their problems.   
Bucky passed Wanda and Vision in the living room.

“What happened?” Vision asked.

“Val had a flash back and Bruce is back. Natasha didn’t take Bruce’s return very well.”

Wanda nodded understandingly. “So stay out of her way?”

“And Clint’s. He’s pissed too.”

Wanda gave a laugh. “Thanks for the warning.”

Bucky took Val to her room and laid her on top of the comforter. He looked through her drawers for comfortable clothes. After some digging, he found a soft t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He looked at Val for a second, blushed, and set the clothes down on the edge of the bed. Bucky made his way back to the living room.

“Wanda?” he asked shyly.

She looked at him, amused. “Yes?”

“I… I need help with something and you know, I’d do it but it’d be awkward and if you don’t want to, I understand. I guess I could ask Natasha but I don’t know what’d she say and… why are you laughing?”

Vision answered in place of Wanda, who had tears running down her face, she was laughing so hard. “You’re face is as red as mine.”

“Oh…” Bucky said, turning redder.

“I’ll do it, Bucky,” Wanda said, regaining her composure. “I knew what you needed as soon as you walked in. You do a poor job of hiding your thoughts, my friend.”

Bucky groaned and took Wanda’s spot as she went to change Val’s clothes.

“If you need help, just let Wanda or I know. Everyone else is going to be busy tonight,” Vision said reassuringly.

“Thanks, I should be able to handle it. I’m going to change my clothes really quick. I’ll talk to you later.”

Vision nodded as Bucky stood. It didn’t take long for Bucky to change clothes. He found some basketball shorts in the back of a drawer and he snatched a plain white t-shirt from his closet. As he exited his room, Wanda stepped into the hallway from Val’s.

“Thanks, Wanda,” Bucky quietly said.

She gave him a smile. “Always happy to help. Let me know if you need anything else.”

Bucky went into Val’s room and found her tucked into bed. He pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and sighed. 

Eventually, Bucky fell asleep sitting up in the chair. He didn’t stir until he heard a small moan next to him. His eyes flew open.   
Val was curled into a ball, her fists squeezed into tight fists; she was having a nightmare. 

Bucky brushed his hand across her forehead and crooned to her. “You’re safe. I’m here. Don’t worry, Doll.”

Her eyes slowly opened. “Comrade?”

“Yes, Doll.” 

“Where are we?”

Bucky ran his fingers through her hair. “We’re in your room. A guy at the club drugged you.”

Val gave another groan. “Bucky, I don’t feel good.”

“You won’t feel good for a while. I’m just happy you didn’t have another flashback. I hate having to restrain you.”

Val shuddered. “Did I hurt anyone?”

“No, you just gave the doctor a scare.”

She looked at Bucky, confused. “Doctor?”

“Doctor Bruce Banner came back.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

Bucky laughed loudly, startling Val. He lowered his voice when he spoke next. “I didn’t either until he showed up in the lab. Now come on, I’m supposed to make you eat.”

Val pulled the blanket tighter around her body. “I don’t want to get up.”

“I’ll carry you.”

Before Val could protest, Bucky lifted her from the bed. She sat rigid in his arms for a moment, but slowly relaxed into him. Val nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and Bucky’s neck. He could feel her hot breath at the base of his neck.

He carried her into the kitchen and sat her on top of the counter. Bucky went to the fridge and pulled out a pudding cup. He ripped the lid off and licked it clean before handing the cup to Val along with a spoon. Bucky stood in front of Val as she happily at the dessert. A small dab of chocolate pudding was on her bottom lip and he couldn’t take his eyes off it. He took her chin in his hand, holding her still as he leaned forward. Val watched him in shocked and interest as he inched closer. Val leaned in, hoping for a kiss. When their lips were nearly touching, Bucky stopped. His tongue lashed out and licked the pudding from her lip. He gave her a smug grin before leaning away.

Val glared at him. “Jerk.”

“Punk,” Bucky said before moving back in and closing the space between their lips. He lightly brushed across her hips as he put his hands onto the counter on either side of her. Val moved to wrap her arms around Bucky when a voice startled them.

“No sex in my kitchen,” Tony said gruffly, pushing past the couple. 

“Shut up, Stark.”

“I’d clear out if I were you, Barnes. Natasha isn’t in the mood to see happy couples.” Tony picked up a mug and filled it with coffee. “How are you feeling, pipsqueak?”

“Not great. I’m foggy feeling,” Val said, vaguely gesturing to her head. 

“Get some sleep,” Tony instructed. He left them, giving a brief wave as he exited the room.

Bucky picked Val up, causing her to squeak in surprise. “Come on. You heard the man. Bed time.”


	20. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh I know this chapter is short but crazy stuff is coming, I promise! And can you believe this is 20 chapters?!? Eek! So excited!

“What do you mean? She can’t just be gone!” The tall man bellowed, slamming his hands down on the desk. His lips were pulled back in a snarl and his dark skin only enhanced the sharp white teeth barred at the younger man.

The subordinate shook with fear under the fiery gaze. “Sh-she was t-t-taken, sir.”

“Who took her?”

“T-the Avengers, sir,” the young man stuttered. 

A smile spread across the taller man’s face. “I can work with that. You’re dismissed.”

The young man breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, sir. Hail HYDRA.”

\----------

“You owe me a dance,” Val stated as Bucky tried to tuck her back into bed.

He gave a sigh. “Can it wait?”

“Nope.” Val struggled out of bed. Bucky watched her carefully as she tried to stand and deftly caught her when she collapsed. 

“Stand on my feet, Doll.”

She put her little bare feet on top of his sock clad ones and held on to his shoulders. Bucky wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. He started a slow waltz around the room as he hummed a little song in Val’s ear. She giggled and held on tighter as Bucky spun them in a gently circle.

She leaned back and smiled up at him. “Thank you for saving me.”

Bucky planted a chaste kiss to her forehead. “Anything for you, Doll. Now it’s time for bed. By morning, you’ll be all better.”

Val chuckled. “Bucky, it’s already morning.”

He looked at the clock in confusion and saw “3:00AM” flashing at him in bright green.

“Well, you’ll feel better when it’s a decent hour of the morning.” Bucky lifted her up and dropped her onto her bed. “Now go to sleep.”

Val huffed. “Fine. Goodnight, Bucky.”

“Goodnight Val.”

Unfortunately, they didn’t get much sleep. At 7:00 Am on the dot, alarms began blaring throughout the headquarters. Bucky sat up in terror. It took him a moment to realize what was going on, but he quickly jumped into action. He tore down the hallway to Val’s room and burst in. She was sitting up in her bed, fear written across her pretty face. 

“Comrade, what’s going on?”

“Attack,” Bucky gasped. “Come on.” 

Val leaped from bed and grabbed Bucky’s hand. He dragged her to the living room where the rest of the Avengers were gathering. Tony was in his suit while the rest of the team stood around in their pajamas, weapons in hand. Steve looked quite odd in his boxers and holding his shield, but not as odd as Natasha who wore a black, lacy pajama set. The silky cloth gleamed in the lights, as did the large gun in her hands. 

Clint thrust a gun into Bucky’s hands. “We’re going to need your help too.”

“What about me?” Val asked.

“No,” Bucky growled. “You need to get somewhere safe.”

“I can help!” she cried. 

“She deserves a weapon. She is a brave warrior,” Thor said in his rumbling voice.

“I’ll take you to get one. Come on,” Clint said to Val, taking her hand and pulling her from the room.

Bucky moved to stop them, but Steve put a hand out. “Buck, we need everyone.”

“What the hell is going on?”

Steve gestured to the TV screen that was displaying what looked like an army of men in HYDRA gear. It took Bucky a moment to realize that the army was outside the gates of the headquarters. They were almost through the barricades. 

“Shit,” Bucky mumbled.

\----------

Val didn’t much appreciate Clint grabbing her hand, but she allowed it seeing as he was going to give her a gun. She thought that just maybe she could start to trust him after this. Once they reached the armory, Clint stood by the door, watching the hallway. 

“Get what you need. I’ll stand guard.”

Val looked around the room until she found what she was looking for: her gun. She knew they would have kept it, she just didn’t know where. Quickly, she took it from the hook it was hanging on and snagged a bag of ammo.

“Let’s go.”

Clint led her through some back hallways until they reached the front door, which was thrown wide open. The rest of the Avengers were fighting the HYDRA goons, but were horribly outnumbered.

“Take this,” Clint yelled, shoving something into Val’s hand before taking off to defend Natasha. Val looked at what he had handed him and realized it was an ear piece. When she put it on, she heard the yelling of the rest of the team.

“When’s back-up getting here?!” Steve cried.

“I don’t know! They didn’t give me an arrival time! Soon, I hope!” Tony yelled back.

“Has anyone seen Val?” Bucky said, panic creeping into his voice.

“I’m here,” Val assured as she bolted into the fray. As soon as she entered the battle, a large mass of HYDRA fighters rushed to her. She was able to take down most of them, but one got in a lucky shot, piercing her hand. Val dropped that hand and kept shooting with the other, but the same HYDRA agent shot that hand as well, causing her to drop the gun completely. Soon, they were on her. A needle was stabbed into Val’s neck, causing her to snarl in pain.

Bucky heard the snarl through the ear piece. He looked around and saw a HYDRA agent carrying Val out of the battle.

“No!” he bellowed, running at the agent. Bucky was intercepted by a mass of agents who injected him with the same sedative. They lugged him out of the field as the HYDRA agents retreated. 

The Avengers cheered at their win, but It took them a moment to realize what they had lost.

“We have to go after them!” Steve yelled.

The Hulk punched the ground in agreement.

“We need more men if we’re going to do that,” Tony said, looking exhausted. “I’ll have FRIDAY send a drone to track them. In the mean time, suit up.”


	21. I don't need help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh things are getting crazy! Hope you all like it! I'm getting close to the end; just a few more chapters! I actually have another idea for a fic so once this is over, keep your eyes open! Tell me what you all think!!

Bucky woke up with a pounding headache. He went to press his hand to his forehead but found he couldn’t move his arms. Remembering what happened; he opened his eyes and looked around for Val.

He found her strapped into a chair next to him, struggling to free herself.

“Doll, stop. You’ll hurt yourself.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Bucky! You’re awake! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. What about you?”

Val chuckled darkly. “I have a few new scars but you know me; I always heal.” She opened her balled fists to show the puckers scars from where the HYDRA agent’s bullets had flown through her hands. “Bucky, you shouldn’t have tried to save me.”

He gave her a small smile. “I go where you go, remember?”

The door to their chamber opened and a tall, dark skinned man entered. His bald head shinned in the fluorescent lights. A smaller man in a HYDRA uniform followed closely behind him. “I see you’re both awake.”

“Where are we? Why’d you take us?” Bucky snarled.

“I think you know the answers to your questions, Assest.” The tall man said, stepping further into the room. He placed his hand lightly on the back of Val’s chair, causing her to squirm in discomfort. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Jakob Cooper.”

“Pleasure,” Val growled, “I’m sure you know all about us.”

Cooper laughed. “Of course I do! Oh, little Play Thing, I know so much more than you realize.” He ran his fingers through her hair, causing Bucky to pull on his restraints in anger.  
“Now, down to business,” Cooper said, gesturing to the HYDRA agent. The agent pulled a small, leather bound book from his jacket and began flipping through the pages. 

“Those words won’t work on us, you bastard,” Bucky cackled. “We were deprogrammed.”

Cooper fixed him with a steely stare. “Do you truly think that those were the only word sequences we put inside your head?”

All the color drained from Bucky’s face. Val hissed in frustration as she began trying to break free again. Metal plates lowered down on either side of Bucky’s and Val’s heads. They clamped down, holding the couple’s heads in place.

“Bucky…” Val whimpered.

“Remember me, Doll. Promise you’ll remember me.”

“I'll try, Comrade. I promise…” Val trailed off as the electric currents began to race through her body. Screams racked her body as her back arched off the chair.

Bucky’s screams soon joined hers.  
~~~  
Tony pulled out all the stops when it came to calling in back up. He asked T’Challa to fly in and on his way, pick up Sam, Scott Lang (aka Antman), and Peter Parker (aka Spiderman). Rhodey wanted to helped, but Tony refused to let him, claiming that his spine hadn’t healed enough.

Thor sent a message to his father, asking for back up as well. He received Sif and the Warriors Three in response. 

Sharon had come as well at Steve’s request and had brought Maria and Nick. 

Everyone was geared up and standing outside what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Scott asked.

“Positive,” Steve said. He attached his shield to his back and began to scale the fence. That’s when all hell broke loose.

HYDRA agents flooded the yard, guns raised.

The Avengers and their friends launched into battle, killing as many of the agents as they could. Suddenly, a siren rang out, and the agents retreated.

“I don’t like this,” Tony said, landing next to Steve. They all moved slowly into the warehouse in search of their friends, but found nothing.

“Hello,” a deep voice said over a sound system. All the teams froze in surprise, ready for a fight. “I see we have some guests. I assume you are here in search of two of your own. Let me put your minds to rest; they are no longer yours. Give up the fight and leave before any of you get hurt.”

“Fat chance of that!” little Peter Parker yelled from beside Tony.

The deep voice chuckled. “I hoped you would say that.”  
~~~  
Two doors slid open, one on each side of the facility. Bucky stepped from one and Val from the other. They had specific instructions of who to find and kill; each other. They would do anything to complete their mission; even killing anyone who got in the way.  
~~~  
Steve could hear heavy footsteps coming from his right. The steps stopped and he heard the click of a gun he knew too well.

“In coming!” he yelled. Steve grabbed the nearest person, who happened to be Wanda, and shielded his shield. An explosion rang out as Bucky launched a grenade into the hallway.

“Barnes! What the hell are you doing?” Tony yelled, trying to block Peter with his body.

Bucky didn’t say anything. His face was blank as he marched down the hallway, grenade launcher aimed directly at Tony’s chest. Peter reached around the billionaire and shot a small web into the nozzle of the weapon. Bucky looked at his gun and with a snarl, threw it to the side. 

“Go! I’ll take care of him!” Steve yelled, rushing Bucky.

“I’m staying!” Natasha yelled.

“Me too!” Sam said sternly.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Fine! The rest of you; go!” He punched Bucky and tried to wrestle him to the ground, but was thrown off by the super soldier. Natasha came flying in with a solid roundhouse kick to Bucky’s head, but he caught her ankle. Rising up into the balls of his feet, he brought his elbow down on her knee. A sickening crack rang out and Natasha screamed. Bucky threw her aside like a rag doll.

Sam howled in anger and fired at Bucky. In his fury, Sam’s aim was poor and none of the bullets reached their target. Bucky launched a knife at Sam and it ripped through the Falcon’s wing.

“Bucky! Stop!” Steve screamed, tackling his friend to the ground. Steve pinned Bucky’s arms under his knees and rested his weight on Bucky’s broad chest. “Bucky! You know me! Fight this!”

“Get off! I don’t want to hurt you!” Bucky snarled. His voice didn’t sound right, Steve noticed. It was deeper and strained. Bucky’s pupils looked blown out of proportion and bloodshot. That’s when Steve realized; his friend was fighting the brainwashing. Bucky could have killed any of them, but hadn’t. When he shot the grenade, it hit a wall, not a person. He broke Natasha’s leg but then pushed her out of the way so as not to harm her further. Bucky’s knife had spun in an well aimed arch not into Sam’s chest, but into the man’s wing. Bucky may have been brainwashed, but he was doing his best to not kill anyone.

“Bucky, I can help you! Stop!”

“You don’t understand! I don't need help, Steve!” Bucky howled. He arched his back underneath Steve, trying to break free. Steve was held on tighter, keeping his friend pinned to the ground. Hearing his name escape Bucky's lips caused Steve to freeze for a moment. 

“I’m sorry,” Steve choked out. Then, his fist met Bucky’s jaw.

Steve kept hitting him. At first, Steve felt sick for what he was doing, but soon, he went into shock and disassociated himself from the situation. Eventually, his punches were automatic; it was like he was hitting a punching bag instead of his best friend. Once Bucky went limp beneath him, Steve stopped.

“Do you think that reset him?” Sam asked, helping Steve to his feet. 

Steve looked at his bruised and bloody hands in shock. “God, I hope so.”  
~~~  
“Let’s split up. Half of us go to find the bastard that did this and the other half find Val,” Tony suggested.

“I will go to find Val,” Thor said in a stern voice. His friends all chimed in saying they would as well.

“I want to help find Val. She’s my friend,” Wanda said.

Vision wrapped his arm around her. “I will help as well.”

“I’m curious to meet this kid. Can I come?” Scott asked, adjusting his helmet as he spoke.

“I’m going too. I’m the one that left her alone in the battle,” Clint said guiltily. 

Thor placed a large hand on the archers shoulder. “This isn’t your fault.”

“Fine, you guys go. But I get Hulk,” Tony said sternly. 

Thor grinned and agreed. The two teams split off, going in opposite directions.

“She’s going to be hard to find,” Clint said, creeping along, an arrow already knocked in his bow.  
“Why?” Scott as curiously.

“She’s not an soldier,” Thor said, looking over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t being followed. “She’s an assassin. She’s sneaky.”

“Is she really small with brown hair?” Scott asked.

Clint looked at him oddly. “Yes, why?”

Scott pointed towards the window next to them that over looked a small courtyard. “She’s down there.”

They all looked out and saw Val tiptoeing along, a gun in her hands and a multitude of knives strapped to her body. 

Sif rammed her blade through the window and leapt up onto the ledge. “Let’s go!”

Val looked up at the noise. Without warning, she ran in the opposite direction.

“Val! Come back!” Wanda yelled. She leapt through a window and flew through the air. Using her powers, Wanda plucked Val from the ground and dragged her backwards. 

Val spun around and snarled. “Get the hell away from me!”  
“We’re here to help!” Thor rumbled.

Val threw a long, cruel looking blade at the Asgardian prince. The knife sunk into his arm, causing him to cry out in pain.

“I don’t need help, Thor.”


	22. Where is he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANGST ANGST ANGST  
> lol hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think in the comments!

“He said my name, Sam,” Steve stuttered as he lifted Bucky. He dragged the unconscious man over to the wall and propped him against it. 

“They did something to his head,” Sam said as he inspected Natasha’s leg. Addressing her, he said “You need a doctor.”

“I’ll call in Clint. He’ll want to take care of you,” Steve said, pressing a hand to his ear piece. “Clint? Can you hear me? Tasha’s down.”

“I’m seriously busy, Cap. Tasha, I’m sorry but I can’t get over there,” Clint grunted. “Shit! Val, stop it!”

“You found Val?” Steve asked excitedly.

“Yes, and she’s kicking our asses and demanding we get out of her way. She recognizes us, man. And if we keep fighting her like this, she might decide to kill us.”

“I’m on my way,” Steve said before cutting the connection. “Sam, get Natasha out of here. I’ll go find Val.”

“What about Bucky?” Natasha asked as Sam lifted her from the ground, one arm around her waist and the other holding on to her arm, which was draped across his shoulders. 

Steve looked down at his friend. “I’ll take him with me.”

The super soldier pulled Bucky up and tossed him over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. Wandering the hallways, Steve followed the sounds of fighting. He knew he had found them when Thor crashed through the wall next to him. Steve put Bucky down on the ground next to him and made his way through the hole Thor had formed. 

Val was fighting like a crazed animal; she had no regard for her own safety. Though she hadn’t killed anyone, her attacks were becoming more aggressive. Once she saw Steve, she froze for a moment, allowing Clint to land a solid punch.

Val snarled and pushed him away before running at Steve. She grabbed the front of his uniform and shoved him roughly into the wall. “Where is he, Rodgers?”

Steve looked at her, confused. “Who?”

“Barnes!” she barked. “He killed my son! The bastard has to die!”

“What are you talking about?” Steve asked. “Bucky is your Comrade! He would never hurt your kid!”

“Lies!” Val screamed shrilly. She tossed Steve back through the hole he emerged from. When she stepped through, she saw Bucky.

He was rubbing his head and sitting up slowly. Steve’s beating had reset him and he was in the process of understanding what happened. Bucky remembered that he and Val had been shocked and then separated. The HYDRA agent had read words to him, which caused him to blank. Then, the agent had told him that a girl by the name of Val Jackson had killed his Doll. Bucky had tried to remember what hid Doll looked like, but he just couldn’t. All he could remember is that he loved her and if Val Jackson had killed her, then Jackson had to die too. The agent gave him weapons and gear before releasing him into the warehouse. Bucky knew he was supposed to kill anyone who got in his way, but when he realized they were his friends, he just couldn’t do it. He could hurt them, but Bucky knew that he could never kill them. 

The bloodlust drained from him as all his memories came back. He groaned into his hands; how could he have wanted to kill Val? 

Bucky was brought back to his senses as heavy footfalls came closer. When he looked up, he saw his lovely Doll snarling and raising a gun at his face. He had only a moment to admire her dangerous beauty before having to roll out of the way of her attack. 

“Val! Stop! They brainwashed you!”

“You killed him!” Val howled.

Bucky thought he understood what she meant. He assumed that HYDRA had pulled the same trick on her that they had pulled on him and convinced Val that Bucky was dead.

Steve threw his shield to Bucky, who promptly caught it and blocked the next volley of bullets Val shot.

“Val! It’s me! It’s Bucky!”

“I know who you are! You killed my son!”

That’s when it dawned on Bucky; he wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of this one. He would have to find a way to reset Val. 

Bucky rushed forward and grabbed the gun in his metal hand, crushing it. Val growled in frustration and whipped a knife out. Bucky blocked her stab and wrapped his other arm around her waist and knocked her to the ground. She struggled beneath him and screamed obscenities at him. He kept her pinned down until her body went limp. Tears ran down Val’s face as she turned her large eyes on Bucky.

“Kill me. Please. I want to be with him.”

Bucky close his eyes tightly. “I can’t do that. But I can make you remember the truth.”

He reared back and planted a solid and swift punch with his metal hand to the side of her head. Val’s eyes closed and her breathing became even; he had knocked her out.  
Bucky rolled off of her and laid next to her small body, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.

“You did the right thing, Buck,” Steve said in an attempt to comfort his friend.

“Steve?” Bucky’s voice wavered as he choked back sobs. “I want to go home.”

“We have to find everyone else first.”

“No, you don’t,” Tony said, stepping into the courtyard. The rest of his team came behind him. They had a hold of Jakob Cooper and were all smiling proudly. “As soon as Fury’s people get here to take all the HYDRA agents into custody, we can leave.”

“Thank God,” Clint groaned, slinging his bow over his shoulder. “I’m going to go find Natasha.”

Everyone found places to sit in the courtyard to tend to their wounds. It took Steve a few minutes to coax Bucky to come sit underneath a tree with him. Bucky carried Val everywhere with him, protectively cradling her in his arms.

When she began to stir, Bucky’s breath caught in his throat. Val’s eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Bucky’s gray-blue eyes.

“Bucky?”


	23. Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! Oh wow this was a wild ride! I know it's a bit subtle but I want to leave this open. These characters mean so much to me and a part of me thinks the story needs to be left open because the characters ends are just as uncertain. I also want you, as the reader, to come up with your own ending and make your own decisions of what happens next. Thank you for reading, it means so much! Please leave comments, it means the world to me!!!

Bucky stroked Val’s hair gently. “I’m here, Doll.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and she sat up, wrapping Bucky in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry. They did things to my head, Comrade. I’m sorry.”

He smiled and held her close. “I know. You don’t have to apologize.”

She leaned back and looked him the eyes for a moment. Bucky watched her curiously. He was startled when her fingers snaked into his hair and her lips met his. The kiss was brief, but filled with emotion. 

Val pulled back and pressed her forehead to Bucky’s. “I love you,” she whispered.

Bucky froze. He couldn’t find the right words to say to express how he felt; he was a man of action, not words. “I… Val… I…”

“It’s okay. I understand.” Val made to move, but he held her close.

“I love you too,” he said. “I love you so much, Val. Please, don’t leave.”

Val beamed and settled down into his lap happily. Tony walked over, noticing the toe love birds. 

“Done trying to kill each other?”

Bucky chuckled. “Yes, Stark.”

“Good,” Tony said, sitting down. “Steve wake up!” He kicked Steve’s sleeping form gently, startling the super soldier.

“What? What’s going on?”

“I need to talk to you guys,” Tony said, putting a leather bound book in front of them. “I found this. Inside, HYDRA’s locations and leaders are listed. We can use this to finally end HYDRA.”

“Was my son mentioned?” Val asked.

Tony shook his head. “Sorry, nothing about him. But all of your guys’ trigger words are here so we can truly deprogram you.”

“That’s great!” Steve said, clapping Bucky’s shoulder.

Bucky and Val listened to Tony and Steve chatter for a bit before slipping away. They snuck off to a deserted hall to talk.

“We have all of HYDRA’s locations now. My son has to be at one of them. I need to find him, Bucky.”

“I know, Doll. And I’m going to help you.”

Val smiled at him, her eyes glassy. “Really?”

Bucky smiled. “I go where you go, Doll. We’re going to find him.”

They wrapped each other in warm embraces. All the words they couldn’t say were put into that hug and for the first time since they had been taken by HYDRA, they allowed themselves to feel romantic love. This world wasn’t made for them, but they would survive; that’s what they did best.

They were Winter Soldiers and they didn’t have to be ashamed. No one was ever going to control them again. Their past was behind them and the future was bright.

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you think!! It starts slow but it picks up, I promise!!


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